Zion`s Call - Oak Grove Restoration Branch

Church of Jesus Christ
Oak Grove Restoration Branch
Zion the beautiful beckons us on . . .
Volume 25 Number 1
Spring-Summer 2015
Zion’s Call
is a newsletter published by the
Church of Jesus Christ, Oak Grove Restoration
Branch. It is published with the intent of
glorifying God and helping to preserve His
Restoration Message. All correspondence should
be addressed to our editor:
Debbie Norman, 9664 Gillespie Rd
Napoleon, MO 64074
Or e-mail: [email protected]
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Volume 25 Number 1
Resolved: Love Thy Neighbor / Bill Green . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Our Family Testimony / Monique Hummel . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Told to Attend Church Three Times a Week /
David Strahan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
A Faithful Woman / Wilma (Clark) Rash . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The Church of Jesus Christ
Oak Grove Restoration Branch
If Jesus Came to Your House / Lois Blanchard Eades . . . . 8
is located approximately 3/4 mile
north of I-70 from the Oak Grove exit.
We invite you to come and worship with us.
The Power of Administration / Sarah Turner . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Sunday services are as follows:
Early Worship at 9:00 a.m.
Classes begin at 9:15 a.m.
Worship Service at 10:30 a.m.
Evening Service at 6:30 p.m.
Is Your House Set in Order? / Anonymous . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
God Carried Us Through / Megan Norman . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Praise the Lord Always / Mike Stahlman . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Youth for Jesus:
A Vison of the Future / Paul Colville . . . . . . . . . . 13
Bible Treasure / Edgar Pillsbury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
The K-Love Cruise 2015 / Delores Champ . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Communion Sunday only:
(the first Sunday of each month)
Combined Prayer Service
and Communion Service at 10:00 a.m.
Walking in Obedience / Rhonda Stahlman . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Wednesday Prayer Service at 7:00 p.m.
Faith and Repentance / Vincent Truba . . . . . . . . 19
Our Australia Trip: The Tie That Binds / Pat Chadwick . . . 17
My Experience in Paradise / Betty Jean Richardson . . . . . 18
That Your Hearts Would Be Changed:
He Gives Me Strength / Janet Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
To Love the Unlovable / Jill Gowan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Have You Found Christ? / Edgar Pillsbury . . . . . . . 21
Branch Pastor: Elder Phillip Freeze
Associates:
Elders Don Cutshall, Jim Mulheron,
and Mike Lidberg; Deacon Bill Green
I Was Nearly Eaten Up by a Corn-Picker / Jay W. Thrift . . . 22
Australian Reunion 2015: A Spiritual Feast /
Linda L. Kerswell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Direction for Protection / Tiffany Jones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
A Letter to the Editor / Lois Arndt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
A Testimony of Tithing / Corey Stark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Live Internet Streaming
of Sunday Morning Services
(except Communion Sunday)
Go to www.ogrb.org and click “Video.”
2 Zion's Call
Keeping the Word of Wisdom: The Truth About Commercial
Wheat Products / Debbie Norman . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Resolved:
Love Thy Neighbor
-by Priest Bill Green, Associate Pastor
We recently had a theme in our branch of loving
your neighbor as yourself. Jesus told us that this is the
second great commandment after loving God with
your whole being.
What exactly did Jesus mean when he told us to
love our neighbor as we love ourselves? Think about
the ways we take care of ourselves. If we are hungry,
we get something to eat. If we are cold, we search for
some clothes to warm us up. If we need shelter, we
find the place that makes us feel safe. In short, if we
have a need, we look for a solution to our need, and
we take care of it, if possible. Is that how we treat the
people that come into our lives?
Everybody is our neighbor, not just the people who
live around us. Jesus told us that we are to treat
everyone we come in contact with as we would treat
ourselves. When he gives us an opportunity to help
someone with a problem, and we have the means or
ability to do so, we are to show the love of Jesus that
exists in us and respond to that person like he would.
The time to sit back and let someone else take care of
the problems while we go on with our lives is long
past. God has given us multiple chances to show we
are willing to follow his directions and he is probably
tired of waiting for us.
I believe the Lord is ready to move in this world in
a big way and if we are not willing to obey him, he will
find a people who have their hearts right and are ready
to work. When he begins to establish his kingdom on
this earth, we could very well be on the outside
looking in. I don’t know about you, but I want
desperately for him to say to me, “Come, I have a
work for you.”
We can begin by showing that we truly care for our
neighbors. Every one of us has skills and passions
bestowed upon us by God. We need to find our niche
in building the kingdom.
We need to be aware of those in our midst that are
lonely. If you know of those who are living alone and
think that no one cares, call them on the phone, go
visit them, drop a card in the mail, or offer to drive
them to the store and run their errands. Show them
that God loves them and you love them, too. If the
widows and widowers among us need repairs to their
homes, grass cut, or snow shoveled, we need to be
volunteering to go over and help.
Young mothers could always use someone to come
over and give them a hand. Maybe you could watch
the kids for a while so they could get some sleep or
run some errands. Whenever those among us suffers
personal loss and are hurting, we need to let them
know we are there for them, offer comfort when
needed, or just be a good listener so they can be
assured they are not going through it alone. Be aware
of the young among us, especially the fatherless. Be
willing to be a good influence in their lives and show
them you care about their problems.
All of us who have welcomed Christ into our lives
have his love deep inside us. We need to stop hiding
his light from the world and keeping it to ourselves.
We must show the world that we love them as God
loves them. We need to express the joy that comes
with having Jesus Christ in our lives. Treat your fellow
man the way Jesus would if he came in contact with
them. The scriptures are full of examples showing how
God expects us to treat our fellow man.
Go out and make the world a better place than you
found it!
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy mind, and with
all thy strength. This is the first
commandment. And the second is
like this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself. There is none other
commandment greater than these.
Mark 12:35-36
Zion's Call 3
Our Family Testimony
-by Monique Hummel, Australia
Though the following testimony focuses around
our son Seth, I call it our “Family Testimony” because
of the many wonderful things that also happened to
our entire family.
Late one afternoon in November of last year, our
son Seth (who is twelve), and his brothers, Ethan and
Jacob (ages sixteen and fourteen), had been skateboarding together when Seth “stacked” badly, hurting
his right arm, head and chest. Initially, he was very
upset and hurt, but following rest and lots of ice
packs, he seemed fine and continued to skate with his
two older brothers. The following day we took him to
our local doctor to have him assessed, and although
she initially determined that nothing was broken, she
sent Seth for x-rays as a precaution.
Seth did indeed have two fractures in his right hand
which were treated and then we were sent home. The
doctor was very surprised by the x-ray results, as Seth
had not been upset or complaining of pain. Two days
later, Seth began vomiting and was again assessed to
determine if he had suffered a concussion as a result of
his initial skateboard crash. No problems were
identified, but a few days later Seth presented with a
few more problems which were suggested to be
symptoms of a “gastro” infection.
After another week of check-ups, Seth’s condition
failed to improve, so I decided to take him to our local
hospital. By the time we reached the emergency
department, Seth was shutting down fast. He could
barely walk and his body was trembling. He
complained of feeling cold, though he was sweating
profusely.
After waiting three-and-one-half hours to be seen,
the doctor proceeded with a series of tests, but it
became obvious to me that she was unsure of what to
do. My husband, Travis, had his appendix burst not
long after we were married, and having seen his
behavior, I tried to explain to the doctor that I
believed Seth might have the same problem. I also
knew of Travis’ family history. Many of his relatives
had also required emergency surgery for their
appendix. Despite my pushing them to check, I was
4 Zion's Call
assured that “it does not run in families.” After much
frustration (for myself), Seth was eventually tested by
another doctor, who appeared to have more of an idea
of what he was doing. Unfortunately, by this time
Seth’s condition had become life-threatening, and we
were rushed to another hospital by ambulance because
the local hospital wasn’t equipped to treat children.
At this time, Travis was contacting family and
friends for help while I traveled with Seth. It was
about this time that Seth and I began to calm down
and even joke about all the crazy events leading up to
this. It was then that I believe many people had begun
praying for us. It was an AWESOME feeling! It was
like being completely surrounded by comfort. We
were calm and everything seemed to have slowed
down for us while those around us were in fast
forward.
We had to wait an hour for the ambulance, which
took another hour to get us to the emergency
department of the Adelaide Women & Children’s
Hospital. After arriving, Seth was again assessed. He
had to have more blood work and testing done
because the first hospital had failed to pass on any
information.
From then on, everything just followed like
standard procedure. Seth was a little concerned about
the effects of drugs on his body. It took some
explaining from the doctors to assure him that it was
okay to use medication (drugs) in some situations.
Once he understood, he finally requested some pain
relief.
We met some surgeons, and (time being an issue)
they quickly explained the procedure they wished to
perform. I had to sign paperwork consenting for them
to do so immediately.
For hours, I wondered
if I would come to regret
making this decision. The
surgery itself should
have taken about an
hour I was told, and
after three-and-three-
quarters hours, I was breaking down. Finally, Seth’s
surgeon appeared and explained the situation to me.
He explained that he performs surgery like Seth’s
approximately four hundred fifty times a year, but that
Seth was among the worst cases he had ever seen. He
added that on a scale of one to ten, with ten being
dead, Seth was about a nine-and-a-half. The surgeon
said that though he did not want to frighten me, he did
need me to understand that Seth was and would
continue to be in critical condition for the next few
days.
I was totally calm and relaxed, which I think led
many people to believe that I did not understand the
seriousness of the situation. We were in the center of
a large crowd who all focused on us, and the intensity
of the situation was removed. I don’t know if I was
awake or not, but I saw our hospital room from above
and a large faceless crowd surrounding Seth’s bed,
while hospital staff came and went as they attended to
Seth’s needs.
Over the next eight days, Seth and I met teams of
surgeons, doctors and medical people every day, all
coming to talk with us about Seth’s procedure. He
was called “The Case of the Year,” which we were
later told was because he came so close to death and
yet healed so quickly. They were baffled!
There were many ups and downs on the road to
recovery. When Seth woke up after surgery, he was
horrified to discover that he couldn’t get out of bed
and that he had tubes coming out of him at every
angle. Each day the goal was to improve enough to
remove a tube or machine. This also gave us
something to focus on. Sleep was difficult at first,
because Seth had so many nurses watching him and
monitoring his condition. As he improved, the number
of medical people assessing him slowed down, and we
got used to sleeping in a strange place with noise. As
complications arose, we sent out messages asking for
prayers, and every prayer was answered.
We were horrified to learn that we were looking at
two-and-one-half to three weeks in hospital. We made
this another prayer request, and we were out in eight
days. Seth’s progress was off the top of the charts for
his condition, and this caused more interest around the
hospital and more curious faces visiting “The Case of
the Year.” Our next answered prayer came in the form
of a huge man named Greg who looked like a biker
that you wouldn’t want to meet in an alley on a dark
night.
He was Seth’s nurse, and he was awesome! He
immediately confronted anyone who entered Seth’s
room and was very supportive of Seth’s desire for
privacy. He was so good that Seth slept right through
having his fingers pierced with a needle each night to
test his blood sugar levels.
Meanwhile, Travis was trying to finish his studies
to begin work in a new role in an Adelaide prison.
Ethan and Jacob, our other sons, managed to keep our
house running. They organized lifts to and from school
and kept up with the housework and grocery
shopping. They were pretty awesome, also. Our
friends rotated visits with our family so that we had
someone to see every day. Seth also managed to
graduate from grade seven while in the hospital when
two of his school teachers came to visit and performed
an official graduation ceremony just for him. His class
sent cards and gifts; this was another wonderful boost
to his progress.
We were overwhelmed by the support of family,
friends, and the Saints throughout the world, who
continued to send messages of love and support. I
believe it was a combination of many little things that
reassured us that God was in control. Each day
brought new challenges and as we prayed and asked
for prayers, they were answered.
The most wonderful things happened to us during
this time. Not only did God answer our prayers, but
also I felt as though more than we had asked for was
being done. We asked for a good surgeon and got
one, but he also showed up wearing Seth’s favorite
brand of clothing, which helped Seth trust him right
away. The Children’s Ward that we should have gone
to was full, so we ended up in the Adolescent Ward
which turned out to be even better because it had
televisions, access to the Internet, a DVD library, and
a play lady (paid to entertain the patients). We also
had our own room. I got a bed to sleep in each night
instead of just a chair. I was able to shower daily, and
the hospital gave me breakfast each morning.
A week after Seth was sent home, he had to be
readmitted with complications. We felt sure that we
were back in for another week. This both frightened
Zion's Call 5
and annoyed us. During this stay, we were placed in
the Children’s Ward where Seth should have been
originally. It was awful—lots of babies crying all of
the time; lights on all night; rude staff who checked
Seth for only half of what they should have been
doing; and finally a doctor who suggested that as
“country people” we were unaware of proper medical
care and would not be leaving the hospital for several
days. We also did not have the same support, since
family who had helped us to cope earlier were
traveling interstate, and many other friends were
working at this time.
I was devastated and immediately called for
prayers. I could not see how we would cope stuck
here for the next few days. And yet again, our prayers
were answered! Seth’s surgeon arrived within an hour
and told Seth that he had heard we were back in
hospital. He said Seth looked awesome and asked if
we wanted to go home. He could not find what had
caused Seth to start vomiting again, but said that it did
not matter, since Seth was clearly fine now, and he
was free to go. This man had more authority than the
doctor we had seen earlier and he immediately
proceeded to discharge Seth. Our bags were packed
within minutes.
With only $20 in my pocket, I wasn’t sure how to
go about getting home, but we trusted that God would
again help us out. I called a taxi who arrived about
two minutes after my call. For $6.50, he dropped us at
the train station. The train heading for home
announced its departure within eight minutes. We had
just enough time to buy tickets for $10.20 and board
the train. We made it home safe and sound in less than
an hour and for under $20. God is good!
To everyone who supported us, thank you! Your
prayers were and are greatly appreciated!
6 Zion's Call
Told to
Attend
Church
Three
Times a
Week
-by David Strahan, Oak Grove, Missouri
Years ago I used to pray, “Lord, help me be a
righteous man.” I was told to attend church three
times a week. I didn’t see how that would help. I was
a Sunday morning worshiper. A few weeks later I
started praying again, “O Lord, help me be a righteous
man.” So I started attending Sunday night and
Wednesday evening. I was still a sinner. I still am a
sinner to this day. But when you’re obedient to the
commands, it’s counted unto you for righteousness.
The Scriptures tell us it was a commandment of
Jesus Christ to gather with the Saints as often as
possible. It does help hearing the testimonies and
experiences of others. There are times I wanted to
share, but it isn’t easy getting up in front of others.
There was one time I wanted to share. One
Wednesday night I was going to be late, but I wanted
to go to church. I knew I was going to be five or ten
minutes late. But I wanted to go. I got to church and
no one was there.
Sometimes when not many show up, they have a
prayer and go home. I looked at my watch. It was
fifteen minutes to 7:00. I could not believe it. I was
the first one there. Others started showing up. I still
can’t believe I got there fifteen minutes till 7:00. I
don’t see how I got showered, dressed and drove to
church in twenty minutes. I don’t move too fast. I
used to work in construction. One job, the boss told
my buddy, “I never saw anybody move so slow.” To
this day, I don’t see how I got to church in twenty
minutes. I wanted to go, late or not.
A Faithful Woman
-by Wilma (Clark) Rash, Oak Grove, Missouri
Glyph Notes (What a marvelous work—validating
the Book of Mormon.); Zion’s Call (beautiful
testimonies of God’s love); Tidings of Zion (guidance
and testimonies) —We are so fortunate to have these
publications. I say this because such a publication is
the reason my family is part of the Restoration.
My grandmother was born in 1875. Some time
around 1920, she got a hold of a Saints’ Herald
magazine and requested that a subscription be mailed
to her. Because of that publication of the Restored
Gospel, she was quoted as saying, “If I ever get a
chance, I’m going to be baptized in that church.”
Some time in the early 1930s, a young man moved
to Missouri from Bisbee, Arizona. He wrote to
Church headquarters in Independence, asking if there
were any members near him. They replied that there
were no members, but that a woman by the name of
Flaura Clark received the Saints’ Herald. This young
man, along with his wife and small baby, paid a visit to
my grandmother. They spent the night and made the
baby a bed in a dresser drawer. That night, some of
her boys and this young man went coon hunting. As
far as I know, this was the only church member who
ever paid her a visit. The family lived in the little town
of Hermitage, Missouri with no RLDS church in the
area.
Grandmother’s chance to be baptized came in
1944. That’s a long time to wait. Grandma was then
sixty-nine. My father was twenty-seven and my
mother was twenty. All three were baptized in
Omaha, Nebraska. I assume they were in Omaha to
visit her daughter. I was three years old and was also
blessed at that time. Because of grandma’s faithfulness, one son and two daughters were baptized.
World War II was raging, and Dad was shipped
overseas. Grandma, Mom and I returned to
Hermitage, Missouri, where there was still no RLDS
church. We never used this as an excuse to stay home
from attending a church service. We didn’t have a car
and had to walk across town to a church, but we were
in church every Sunday morning and evening. It was
the Lord’s Day.
My grandmother was known as a woman of faith
and prayer. She passed away in 1954 at the age of
seventy-nine. She was never able to attend an RLDS
church, but professed her faith in the Restored Gospel
to the end.
My family moved to Independence just prior to my
grandmother’s death. We were new to the neighborhood, and to our surprise, that young man who had
visited my grandmother so many years ago was now
our neighbor! His name was Elder Dave Myers, and
I’ll be forever grateful for his ministry.
I am so thankful for my heritage and for the love
and guidance my family gave me. And to the staff of
the Restoration publications, I want to say, “Keep up
the good work. There might
be a lonely pilgrim
out there looking
and searching for
his way.”
Who can find a virtuous woman? for her
price is far above rubies. The heart of her
husband doth safely trust in her, so that he
shall have no need of spoil. She will do him
good and not evil all the days of her life.
Strength and honor are her clothing; and
she shall rejoice in time to come. She
openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in
her tongue is the law of kindness. She
looketh well to the ways of her household,
and eateth not the bread of idleness.
Her children arise up, and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praiseth her.
Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a
woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be
praised.
(Proverbs 31: 10-12, 25-28, 30)
Zion's Call 7
If Jesus Came To Your House
If Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two—
If He came unexpectedly, I wonder what you’d do.
Oh, I know you’d give your nicest room
to such an honored Guest,
And all the food you’d serve to Him would be the very best,
And you would keep assuring Him
you’re glad to have him there—
That serving Him in your own home is joy beyond compare.
But when you saw Him coming, would you
meet Him at the door
With arms outstretched in welcome to your heavenly Visitor?
Or would you have to change your clothes
before you let Him in?
Or hide some magazines and put the Bible where they’d been?
Would you turn off the radio and hope He hadn’t heard?
And wish you hadn’t uttered that last, loud, hasty word?
Would you hide your worldly music and put
some hymn books out?
Could you let Jesus walk right in, or would you rush about?
And I wonder—if the Savior spent a day or two with you,
Would you go right on doing the things you always do?
Would you go right on saying the things you always say?
Would life for you continue as it does from day to day?
Would your family conversation keep up it’s usual pace?
And would you find it hard each meal to say a table grace?
Would you sing the songs you always sing,
and read the books you read,
And let Him know the things on which
your mind and spirit feed?
Would you take Jesus with you
everywhere you’d planned to go?
Or would you, maybe, change your plans for just a day or so?
Would you be glad to have Him meet your
very closest friends?
Or would you hope they’d stay away until His visit ends?
Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on?
Or would you sigh with great relief
when He at last was gone?
It might be interesting to know the things that you would do
If Jesus Christ in person came to spend some time with you.
–Lois Blanchard Eades
8 Zion's Call
Is Your House Set in Order?
-Anonymous
Recently, I had the following dream. I was
at home with my adult son and his wife and
my adult daughter. My husband was at work,
so it was just the four of us in the house. My
son and his wife and my daughter were in the
living room watching TV, and I was in the
kitchen making something with dough.
The house seemed to be cluttered with lots
of stuff. It was untidy. I thought I should
clean it up, but I thought to myself that I could
clean it up later. I was focused on what I
needed to bake with the dough.
My telephone rang and it was an elder from
the Church. He told me he had something
wonderful that he wanted to give my family
(but he wouldn’t be specific) and asked if he
could come over immediately to bring it. I
told him that would be fine.
After I got off the phone, I was in a panic
because my house wasn’t ready to receive an
elder of the Church. I began to be upset with
my son and daughter-in-law and daughter as I
asked them to help me clean up the living
room and put the stuff in my bedroom so I
could shut the door when the elder came over.
Finally, they shut off the TV and began helping
me clean up the house. About that time, the
elder’s car pulled up in front of my house.
When I awoke from the dream, the Lord
gave me the following interpretation. He told
me that I felt unprepared to receive the
message of the elders of the Church because
my house was not in order. I was more concerned
with baking something in the kitchen when I should
have been more concerned with getting my house in
order.
I knew the Lord was telling me this is a similitude
of my spiritual life. I sometimes push spiritual clean
up aside and deal with the more pleasant things to
clean up.
Placing all the stuff in my bedroom is a similitude
of what I do spiritually sometimes, too. The Lord told
me that if I shove the unpleasant things I don’t want to
deal with in a room that is closed that he will not enter
into that area. All things are seen by him, and there is
nothing we can hide from him. I knew the Lord was
telling me that his priesthood who will prepare will
have this same gift and power. We will not be able to
hide our sins and lack of preparation from the
priesthood whom the Lord has called in these latter
days anymore than we can from the Lord, himself.
I knew the message the Lord was giving me was to
put my house in order now, for time is short. I
understood that he is preparing his priesthood to come
into our homes to help us prepare for the coming days.
It will be better if our houses are already prepared
before they come.
I know that Jesus Christ is seeking to prepare all
those who will hear his voice in these latter days. Do
you hear and recognize his voice? Obey it now while
there is time and you will be greatly blessed.
O my people, saith the Spirit,
Hear the word of God today;
Be not slothful, but obedient;
‘Tis the world’s momentous day!
Unto honor I have called you—
Honor great as angels know;
Heed ye, then, a Father’s counsel,
And by deeds your purpose show.
—Joseph Luff
Is any sick among you? let him call
for the elders of the church;
and let them pray over him, anointing
him with oil in the name of the Lord.
(James 5:14)
The Power of Administration
-by Sarah Turner, Independence, Missouri
On March 31, 2015, I went into urgent care due to
my left wrist hurting. I had not fallen or hurt it in any
way that I could remember. I am a CNA for a living,
so lifting is a huge part of my job. My wrist had been
hurting for about a week at this point. I told the
doctor what was going on, and he ordered me to have
x-rays taken. He came back in and told me that I had
fractured one of the bones in my wrist, and he couldn't
believe it. He even showed me the x-rays and where
the fracture was. It was very obvious that it was
fractured.
I was then put in a splint and told to follow up with
an orthopedic doctor. This was not good. I haven't
worked at my job for more than a year, so I don't
qualify for FMLA or long term leave of absence. With
my wrist being fractured, I was going to have to go
through a separation of employment and then a rehire.
That meant that I would have to start completely over
with no insurance, and that I would lose the personal
time I had already accrued.
On April 1, I went to the Wednesday night prayer
service and had my name put on the prayer list. After
the service, I was administered to by the elders.
During the administration, it was prayed that I would
be healed if it be God's will.
On April 2, 2015, I saw the orthopedic doctor, and
he took new x-rays. He told me that there is no sign of
a fracture, arthritis, or any other deformity in my
wrist. I know that due to my being administered to, a
healing took place. I was told that the cause of my
pain is more than likely due to tendonitis, and I just
need to wear a brace for a few weeks. This is more
good news. I am so thankful for God’s blessing!
Zion's Call 9
God Carried Us Through
-by Megan Norman, Oak Grove, Missouri
In February 2013, my husband Jared and I got the
surprise of our lives when we found out we were
pregnant. The surprise doubled when we went for our
first ultrasound and the tech told us she saw two
heartbeats. Our son had just had his first birthday, and
the news of twins brought joy and fear at the same
time as we anticipated what our future would hold
with three children under the age of two and Jared
starting his second year of medical school.
The first trimester was very difficult as I found
myself in and out of the emergency room every week
with complications. I developed a subchorionic
hematoma (SCH), which causes lots of bleeding. I had
my first episode of bleeding while I was at work. My
initial response was panic as I thought I was
miscarrying, but panic quickly turned to complete
peace. The hymn “God Will Take Care of You”
started playing in my head, and I felt no fear. I knew
everything was going to be okay.
I had two more of those episodes, and each one
brought total peace like I have never felt before. I
knew everything was going to be okay no matter what
the outcome was going to be. I will say right now, I
am not a calm person. I have an anxiety and panic
disorder, and anything that deviates from normal will
send me into complete panic, so the peace I felt was
not my own.
At thirteen weeks we started to have a “normal”
pregnancy again, or as normal as it gets for a twin
pregnancy. We discovered that the twins shared a
placenta which increases the risk of complications, so
we were monitored very closely. It seemed like
everything was going well.
One day when I was twenty-eight weeks along, I
went to work even though I was feeling very run
down. We were understaffed that day, so I had to pick
up some of the slack. I was working on a patient when
I felt a very strong contraction. The blood drained
from my face because I knew that feeling from the
birth of my first child, and I knew something wasn’t
right. I decided to ignore it, because we were too busy
10 Zion's Call
for me to call my
doctor.
Thirty minutes later
I felt another contraction. I tried to talk myself out of
calling the doctor, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that
something was very wrong. I looked around the room
for anyone free who could help me, but everyone was
working. I could tell the doctor thought I was spacing
out because I kept dropping things, and my head was
not where it should have been. I felt another
contraction shortly after that. This one wrapped
around my back and tightened everything.
As soon as we were finished with that patient, I ran
to my phone and called the nurse. I explained what
was going on, and she told me to drop everything and
go to the hospital. I left work and promised my boss
I would be back after lunch. I got to triage and found
out I was two centimeters dilated. By the time the
doctor got to me, I was three centimeters and
contracting every two minutes.
I had only felt four contractions before I got to the
hospital, and I never thought I might be in active
labor. I started to panic. A full term pregnancy is
forty weeks, and I knew it was way too early for the
twins to be born. Even though 90 to 95% of babies
born at twenty-eight weeks will survive, they will still
require long stays in neonatal intensive care unit
(NICU) with extensive medical care before they are
discharged to home.
The triage room suddenly became very busy as the
nurses started hooking me up to magnesium and
giving me other medications that were meant to stop
labor. I was given a steroid shot to help the babies’
lungs mature in case of delivery, and a second steroid
shot was scheduled for twenty-four hours later. As
soon as my initial panic was over, I felt like I was
almost floating—like I was watching all of this take
place, but it wasn’t really happening to me. God spoke
to me and said, “Pray, Megan.” So that’s what I did.
I felt God pick me up, just like he did when I was
bleeding so many weeks ago. I was calm. I had the
labor and delivery team surrounding me; I had the
NICU staff talking to me; I had people prepping me
for delivery; and I had to sign consent papers for an
epidural, but I knew it was all in vain. I knew these
babies were not coming out at that time. My nurse and
my doctor told me that it was a matter of hours before
I would meet the twins, but I knew differently. Their
birthday was not going to be August 8, 2013.
The magnesium wasn’t helping, and contractions
kept coming. I was dilating pretty fast, and they told
me I was now four centimeters. My obstetric doctor
(OB) sat down and said that we weren’t going to
make it to the twenty-four hour mark when they had
planned to give me the needed second dose of
steroids. She ordered it to be given to me in twelve
hours instead and said my goal was to make it to that
next steroid shot before delivery.
I asked about the magnesium, since everyone was
so sure I was going to deliver. They told me that when
magnesium works, it is within the first two hours.
They said since I had passed that two-hour mark, the
magnesium was not going to stop labor. It was only
being used to strengthen the twins. I again politely
smiled. These babies were NOT coming out that
night! I knew it.
I was administered to by the elders three times that
night. Also, I remember one of my family members
mentioned that Lyle Smith was in charge of the prayer
meeting at our home branch at Oak Grove that
evening, and while all this was going on at the
hospital, he led a special service where every person
there prayed for me and my babies.
Right around the time that prayer meeting was
over, I stopped dilating. My OB kept checking, but I
was still at four centimeters. I asked my nurse how my
contractions were looking, and she said that they were
slowing down considerably. The attitude in the room
started to change from “You are having these babies
tonight,” to “You may make it a few more days.”
Labor completely stopped at some point that night,
and I was able to get some sleep.
The next morning, they felt comfortable enough to
take me off the magnesium, and I was allowed to
leave the delivery room and go to the mother/baby
side of the hospital floor—where I stayed on bed rest
for the next six weeks.
I know it was the power of prayer that stopped my
labor because the doctors and nurses were amazed
that it just stopped for no reason. I knew it would
stop. I had no doubt it would. God had carried me
through the difficult pregnancy, and he had assured me
that he would continue to carry me though until the
right time for the safe arrival of our twins.
A few days later, I toured the NICU just in case my
babies still came early and needed to be there. I
started crying when I saw two incubators side by side
that were decorated and had pink blankets. They were
labeled “Twin A” and “Twin B.” The nurse told me
that they had set those up for my babies when I was in
labor. They had really thought they were going to
need them that night. I realized just how close we had
come to delivering at twenty-eight weeks and how
blessed I was that God stopped my labor when there
was nothing modern medicine could do to stop it.
Because of the prayers from my church family that
night, my little girls never saw the inside of a NICU.
The six weeks I spent in the hospital on bed rest
were very difficult. My church arranged for elders to
come every day to administer to me. There were some
days I would be contracting pretty badly, and I would
watch the clock waiting for the elders to come
because I knew that my contractions would stop as
soon as they administered to me. To everyone’s
amazement, I was still pregnant at thirty-four weeks.
At this point, if I went into labor, they would not try
to stop it, since the babies were developed enough not
to be too high risk if they were born, even though they
would have to spend some time in the NICU. I was
allowed to go home, where I continued with the
pregnancy for two more weeks before the twins were
finally born at thirty-six weeks.
My doctor had originally planned for me to be
induced into labor at thirty-six weeks, as it was
decided that was the safest time for delivery since the
babies shared one placenta. After I went into
premature labor, no one had thought I would ever
make it to that point of the pregnancy, but by God’s
mercy I did, and I delivered two perfectly healthy baby
girls. Aubree was five pounds, five ounces, and Avalee
was four pounds, fifteen ounces. If they had been born
before thirty-six weeks, it would have been mandatory
for them to go to the NICU for at least twenty-four
hours. Even being born at thirty-six weeks, I was told
Zion's Call 11
that they might have to spend a bit of time in the
NICU, but they were so healthy and strong they didn’t
need to go to the NICU at all. It was a miracle to be
able to hold and nurse my babies right away and to
take them home with me when I was discharged from
the hospital.
Today, the girls are healthy, active nineteen-monthold toddlers. I am so thankful for God’s blessing over
their lives from the very beginning! God is so good!
zero-turn mower for sale along the side of the road. I
called the phone number, and the seller had four
mowers for sale. One was a Ferris that had only been
used for 120 hours even though it was eight years old,
and the price was a bargain. Because that particular
mower was at a different location, and I was headed
to the service taking place that evening, I made
arrangement to meet the man the next morning at 8:00
a.m. The man selling the mower called me the next
morning and when he didn’t get an answer, he sold the
mower to another buyer.
Saturday morning I had overslept and missed the
appointment. Another buyer got there before me. The
owner called me, but I didn’t hear the call because the
phone was still on vibrate from the night before. I had
put it on vibrate during church service and had
forgotten to turn the volume back up. Not being able
to reach me, he sold the mower to the other buyer. I
got up, headed out the door and called the seller to let
him know that I was on my way at which time he said,
“I’m sorry buddy, I just sold it.” I responded that he
didn’t owe me an apology, but I owed him one.
Praise the Lord Always
-by Mike Stahlman, Missouri
We lost both of our riding mowers in a house fire
on April 20, 2013. The four acres of grass didn’t care
if the house was destroyed in a fire; it kept growing
anyway. For the remaining part of that year, we hired
the mowing to be done. After much thought, I decided
I wanted a zero-turn mower, which would cut down
on mow time. It took around six hours to mow our
land with a little riding mower. The yard is quite
uneven, which causes the person riding the mower to
be bounced around quite a bit.
After studying the various mowers that are
available, my heart was set on a Ferris brand zeroturn. This is the only brand that has any kind of
suspension (springs and shocks), which would cut
down on the wear on the body when mowing. Trying
to conserve money, I was searching for a used one
that was the best bargain.
On the evening of Friday, April 25, 2014, while I
was on my way to meet my wife at the yearly
congregational weekend retreat at the church
campgrounds in Odessa, Missouri, I saw a Kubota
12 Zion's Call
After I hung up the phone, disappointment and
depression tugged at my heart for having missed the
wonderful blessing that the Lord had prepared for me.
I had been telling people how important it was to
praise the Lord—especially when things go bad—
now I was being put to the test. Though it was
difficult at first and it was through gritted teeth, I
managed to praise God that someone else had bought
“my” mower. I returned home and looked once again
on Craig’s list. I hadn’t had much luck previously on
Craig’s list but tried once more. There on the list was
a better, newer used Ferris zero-turn mower. It was
the exact same model, but with a bigger motor than on
the one that I missed for about the same price.
After talking with the owner on the phone, I told
him if the mower was as good as he represented it to
be that I would buy it and be down the following
Monday with a cashier’s check. He took my word and
removed his add from Craig’s list. Monday came and
I found the mower to be everything that he said it to
be. After taking it for a test run, we bought it.
My good wife insisted I share this testimony with
him, which we did, and we professed the goodness of
the Lord. The mower has been a real blessing. It now
takes about an hour and fifteen minutes to mow all
four acres.
A Vision of
the Future
-by Paul Colville, age 13, Missouri
A while ago, I had a dream in which
I saw a few years into the future. In my
dream, I was looking out my bedroom
window and saw havoc and soldiers
forcing their way into the neighbors’
homes and taking them captive.
“O remember my son, and learn wisdom
in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to
keep the commandments of God.”
(Alma 17:68)
Bible Treasure
-by Edgar Pillsbury, Fall River, Massachusetts
I was alarmed at first, until I walked out into the
living room and saw my parents looking out the front
window. They did not act the least surprised or
scared. In the dream I said, “What is the matter
outside?”
My parents said, “The Lord is protecting us.”
I walked out of the house and saw a force field that
covered our whole property. The soldiers were
walking and running around our house and saw
nothing. I was amazed and marveled.
Then the soldiers started to leave with a truck full
of people, and my parents said, “Time to go,” and I
said, “Where?” and they said, “A surprise.”
We started walking down our street with angels,
and their swords of fire, walking on our left and right.
I did not know where we were going until I saw the
Stone Church. Then I realized we must be going to
the Temple Lot.
At the Temple Lot, there were hundreds of people
that I knew and did not know. Just then, hundreds of
angels descended from the heavens and came to the
grounds of the Temple Lot with their swords of fire.
Then I heard trumpets, the clouds opened up, and I
woke up.
“Prepare ye, prepare ye
for that which is to come,
for the Lord is nigh.”
(D&C 1:3b)
I once read about an east coast man who thought
it would be humorous to place a hundred dollar bill
between the pages of a Bible and send it to his west
coast brother as a Christmas gift. The west coast
brother did not open the Bible. As a joke the following
Christmas, he simply returned it to the east coast
brother.
Thereafter, it became a running joke for several
years. Back and forth the Bible went at Christmastime,
before the west coast brother, amazed, discovered the
hundred dollar bill when it fell from between the Bible
pages. During those many years, the west coast
brother had not bothered to open the Bible.
Subsequently, the treasured hundred dollar bill was
not found for years.
Since reading about this, it has occurred to me that
this situation is similar to the great treasure which has
been placed in the Scriptures by God. If more people
would open the Scriptures, they would be amazed at
the treasure God has tucked into its pages. This
treasure includes the formula by which we may reach
celestial glory, along with the method by which we
may establish the cause of Zion and bring about the
brotherhood of man.
These Bible treasures are available to anyone who
loves God and wants to serve him. Such people will
never regret their decision to study the scriptures.
Zion's Call 13
The K-LOVE Cruise 2015
-by Delores Champ, Bates City, Missouri
A friend gave me a book called Godwink Stories by
Squire Rushnell and Louise Duart. On February 1, the
story I read from this book, “A Man Named Fred,”
reminded me of a recent occasion. In the story, God
used the writer, Kimberly, to bring joy and selfforgiveness to a man named Fred in an out-of-the-way
place in Idaho, under “coincidental” circumstances
(which, of course, we all know were not coincidental
at all). Kimberly and Fred were from the same area of
New Jersey—clear across the country! God brought
them together because “we are on a glorious
GPS—God’s Positioning System—and his awesome
stitching of the invisible threads of Divine Alignment
is guiding each of our journeys through life.”
Kimberly wrote: “He has already used you today—
perhaps to offer a smile, a gift of forgiveness, a
moment of caring, a word of encouragement, or in
mysterious ways of which you are not aware. We are
the bearers of God’s grace.”
In Mid-January, I went on the K-LOVE Cruise. (KLOVE broadcasts Christian music to affiliate radio
stations across the United States.) Afterwards, my
roommate and I were waiting for our homebound
flight at the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, airport. I
thought to myself, “Usually you see someone you
know in places like this; I wonder who I will see?”
Then I dismissed the thought. I wandered over to the
gift shop, bought nothing, but on my way back to my
seat in the waiting area, I DID see someone I knew.
It was my former sister-in-law, Carolyn.
My previous husband, Robert, (although I called
him Bob), was killed by a drunk driver in 1998. I had
not seen Carolyn since then, although I had become
Facebook friends with three of Bob’s four children.
The family and I did not end up on the best of terms,
but now his children are adults. I think they just
needed to grow up in order for there to be forgiveness
on the part of all of us. Carolyn and her husband live
in Oak Grove. Their children are adults now, too.
14 Zion's Call
Carolyn and I had a very nice visit. She had been
on a cruise too, although it was a different one than
mine. Hers had been previously scheduled to take
place a year earlier, but due to other things that
occurred in their family, it had been postponed until
now. They were at the airport to go home also. In
fact, we were on the same flight home! At the end of
our conversation, we hugged one another, and are
now Facebook friends as well. God’s “GPS” put us
in the same place, at the same time.
Now, to tell you about the K-LOVE Cruise! First,
let me tell you how I came to go on this cruise. I am
a member of the International Association of
Administrative Professionals (IAAP), just one of my
professional associations. There are several chapters
in Missouri, and we get together once a year for a
Missouri Division meeting. We had a meeting in June,
after my husband Daniel passed away. Pamela, a
member from a nearby chapter, visited with me. She is
also a widow. A few weeks later, she emailed me
asking if I would like to be her roommate on this
cruise. I hesitated and had to check my school
schedule, but a few days later, I said yes and signed
up.
While on the cruise, Pamela told me her testimony
of God’s love for her: Last year she went on the KLOVE Cruise (a different ship). She was full of
anxiety with the rocking of the ship on the waves. She
prayed about it, and God spoke to her, asking her
(paraphrased), “Why are you afraid? Don’t you know
that when you feel the ship rocking, I am holding it in
my hands?” She was no longer anxious after that.
The cruise was amazing! The luxurious ship was
huge. It was easy to get lost on the MSC Divina. The
K-LOVE vocal artists were wonderful, the food was
fabulous, the weather was great (for the most part),
and of course, every guest on the cruise was there for
the same reason—all were Christians, ready to praise
God even more at the nightly concerts and with others
as we prayed over our meals, etc. The ship is a
regular cruise ship, not specific to Christian cruises.
This was the first time there had been such cruise
patrons on this ship. Although a few people bought
alcoholic beverages, it was announced at one of the
concerts that for the most part on THIS particular
cruise, the bars and the casino area were NOT
frequented. The audience cheered.
On our flight out and back from Kansas City was a
disabled young man, Noah. Noah was on this cruise
as a “Make a Difference” kid with his parents and his
sister. (He wore a big button so proclaiming.) While
my roommate and I saw one other “Make a
Difference” girl on the cruise, Noah’s sister told me
there were actually four “Make a Difference” kids on
the cruise—two girls and two boys. How wonderful
for them to have chosen the K-LOVE Cruise as their
“event of a lifetime.”
We boarded the ship Tuesday, January 13. There
were activities for all age levels, all day and into the
night. There was so much to do and see—a person
could not do it all. The main concert that first night
featured For King & Country, and Building 429.
Afterward, we had supper (late dining each night),
then went to the Aqua Park and heard Tim Timmons
perform, followed by watching a fabulous artist, Jared
Emerson, paint a picture in just a few minutes, while
music played. The final product—a picture of Christ
with the crown of thorns.
Wednesday, January 14, we had a shore excursion
in Freeport, the Bahamas, after breakfast. We had
chosen to take a bus tour that included lunch, a little
shopping, and a short walk to the beach area, although
we really did not have time to get in the water there.
It was sunny and warm. Our tour bus driver was a
man named Daniel Kemp. When he said his name, it
sounded like “Camp.” How much closer can you get
to Daniel Champ than that? I knew, then, that Daniel
was with me on this trip (although if he were alive, he
would not have wanted to be there—too many people
for his liking, he was not a water person, and he
preferred country music).
We heard Colton Dixon, and Casting Crowns
Wednesday night, then went again to the Aqua Park
after supper, and heard Sanctus Real, and watched
Jared Emerson again as he painted his “Face of God”
painting while Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the
Sky” played over the loudspeakers. Listen to that on
YouTube or CD and you’ll know just how much time
Jared had to paint from blank canvas to masterpiece.
Thursday, January 15, Pamela and I did not have a
planned shore excursion, so we attended the women’s
morning devotions with Lysa TerKeurst and Schyler
Dixon. Lysa talked about the “one wise woman” in 2
Samuel 20:16-22. Notes I wrote down are as follows:
1) Approach. This wise woman was not only a
servant, but she was serving God. If you are willing
to do what you can (faith), God will meet you there.
2) Assurance. Pray—not only FOR issues, but
THROUGH them. You may feel a certain way, but
you do not need to act it out. Tuck points of wisdom
in your life, so others can see the evidence of God’s
truth in us. 3) Attention. Pay attention—not to fools
and foolish things; that will bankrupt our perspective.
We steer where we stare. Never take your eyes off the
Master. 4) Intention. What is our real intention?
What God anoints, no man can disappoint. Do not get
sidetracked. 5) Prevention. Use wisdom. Make
decisions today that are good for tomorrow. God’s
grace never shakes its head and walks away. Walk in
the way you want to go—for your future. And finally,
God is good at being God all the time.
After breakfast, we got off the ship in Nassau and
wandered through the souvenir vendors and then into
the main shopping area itself. Thursday evening’s
concerts in the theater featured Chris August and
Mandisa, with Jared Emerson painting “The Lion and
the Lamb.” It was different than the lion and the lamb
we are used to seeing. This was a lion, yes, but the
lamb was Christ—the Lamb of God.
Friday, January 16, we were supposed to take
smaller “tenders” and go to the private island Great
Stirrup Cay, but the captain determined the weather
was too inclement for that—cloudy, overcast, a little
rain, choppy waves—so we spent the day on board the
ship. In the afternoon, we participated in some fun
activities sponsored by the Singles Ministry.
Then it was time to get dressed for our “formal
night.” We enjoyed supper and the last concerts
which featured Plumb and The Newsboys (“God’s Not
Dead”). Plumb told her story of how she used to want
all the fame, glory, and what money could buy. She
and her husband and son had the big, fancy house and
all the trimmings that go with such a lifestyle, but their
marriage suffered. They separated, and she finally
realized what was really important—their family.
After a while, they reunited. They no longer have the
Zion's Call 15
big, fancy house. Her story can be read in her book,
Need You Now: A Story of Hope.
Saturday, January 17, we attended morning
devotions with Marvin Mumford (a former alcoholic
and drug dealer) leading us in praise songs, and Lysa
TerKeurst again speaking. The story she featured this
day was about Abigail (1 Samuel 25, with background
in 1 Samuel 22:2). She brought out several things in
this story, but the main point I wrote down is that
humility opens the door to opportunity. It doesn’t
validate the other person, but it frees you. Several of
the musicians shared great testimonies or had notable
things to say. One I remember was Mandisa saying
(I’m paraphrasing), “It’s not about your ability; it’s
about your availability—to God.”
Some participated in a couple of short mission trips
to schools in Freeport and Nassau. I might do that if
I go again. Also, there was a silent auction to raise
funds for a playground in a poor area of Jamaica, and
a new church to replace one ravaged by Hurricane
Katrina. A special area of the ship featured KLOVE’s Hope Center in Detroit, Michigan. A person
could get more information and make donations there.
On the flight back to Kansas City, Pamela and I
were seated in different rows. I sat between a man
and a woman. We all three visited, but the main thing
was the conversation I had with the woman—Lindley,
I believe her name was. She is Episcopalian. We
talked about Scripture. I told her we had the three
books of Scripture and named them; I told her we
believe God still speaks to people today through his
prophets, and others. She remembered Joseph Smith
was originally from the northeast—I reminded her that
he was from Palmyra, New York. We also talked
about how Brigham Young took a group to Utah and
that was why we had to reorganize; and why we
believe eight years old is the age of accountability and
why we don’t baptize until then. There was more we
discussed, no doubt, but I can’t recall it all now. It
was a good conversation, and I was glad to witness, to
be able to perhaps plant a seed in her mind to do more
investigating later.
Then, when my grief support group met in early
February, I shared I’d been on vacation. They asked
where, and I told them the K-LOVE Cruise. It was a
small group that day, and many of them were familiar
with K-LOVE. Those who were not, know about it
now after the discussion that followed!
16 Zion's Call
Walking in Obedience
-by Rhonda Stahlman, Missouri
In October 2013, we moved into a mobile
home park in Blue Springs, Missouri. The park
is clean, friendly, and conveniently located to
the stores where we shop. After we got settled
in, the Holy Spirit told me, “Walk everyday.” I walked
the day he told me to and a few other times in the
following months, but it wasn’t until May
2014—when a friend shared with me her testimony of
fasting from certain foods and walking every day, and
how she was being blessed because of it—that I began
to take that commandment from God seriously. I
began to walk every day and have even walked in the
rain in order to keep the commandment God gave me.
At the time he spoke this to me, I pondered as to
the reason why I had been given the commandment,
thinking that it might be due to the fact that my
mother’s family all had heart disease, and walking
would be beneficial for my health. Then I decided not
to be concerned about the reason why and just do it
because God told me to. I know that he never tells me
anything that isn’t for my good in some way.
One day last winter, the day began and became
very busy, and it wasn’t until the evening when the
light had already faded that I contemplated not
walking, since I was tired and did not feel like I
wanted to get dressed in my outerwear and battle the
cold. As I thought of not walking, this thought came
to mind, “You would be breaking a good habit.” I told
Mike, my husband, what the Holy Spirit had spoken to
my mind and he, being aware that I had been
commanded to walk every day, suggested that I just
walk the short distance to the end of the road and
back. That word of encouragement, said in kindness,
was all I needed to get up, get dressed for the
weather, and get out the door.
As I started to walk I decided that I would actually
walk around our lighted mobile home park and
actually circled it twice. With a little encouragement
from my faithful husband, I continued to walk in
obedience to the commandment given me, even
though I admit, that it took me seven months to be
diligent to his commandment. At one point in this
journey, after praying for my Heavenly Father to
forgive me for my negligence, the thought occurred to
me that I was only delaying my blessing.
Our Australia Trip: The Tie That Binds
-by Pat Chadwick, Oak Grove, Missouri
At the beginning of any trip there is always a little
trepidation for one never knows what one might
encounter. When my husband, Hal, and I set out on
our trip to Australia, I did feel a good degree of
nervousness and concern as to how the trip would go
and if we would be able to keep up with all the
traveling. I need not have worried, for when you go
forth to serve the Lord, his hand is always upon you.
We were strengthened daily.
I won’t try to recount all the places we visited on
our trip, but I would like to share some testimonies
about our wonderful experience in Australia. Our first
official stop was the church reunion, and there we met
many of the Saints of Australia. The song “Blest Be
the Tie That Binds” comes to my mind. This song
expresses my feelings about that reunion experience,
for at the reunion with church people I hardly knew,
I experienced the power of that sweet Spirit that truly
does bind our hearts in Christian love. I quickly felt at
one with the Saints gathered there. They became my
new church family. I felt as if I had known them for a
long time, and Hal and I both experienced a genuine
love and affection for them.
The reunion was an excellent experience. I deeply
appreciated the opportunity to teach classes to my
new-found sisters in the faith. While teaching and
looking out upon their faces, I felt a deep love for
each woman in the class. At the close of the reunion
as we sang a blessing upon each one, I found that I
hated to leave this group of Saints who in such a short
time had become dear to me. I was pleased to discover
that as we traveled around the country I would get the
chance to visit with many of them again.
One evening while in Brisbane, I felt very ill
because of an infection, and later on I was
administered to by the elders. I received a great
blessing. By morning I still had some symptoms, but
they were no longer acute. I know the Lord gave me
a great blessing that my symptoms went from acute to
very mild overnight.
The next morning while going through my
medications, I realized I had packed enough antibiotic
for a week. This is an antibiotic prescribed for Hal’s
rosacea. He packed his own medication. I don’t
remember packing those extra pills. Doug Smith (who
is a doctor) said to take them, and I should be fine.
One of the Saints from Australia, Helen Archer, told
me of some over-the-counter medication that would
also be helpful. All in all, I was greatly blessed, and
our trip continued without me having to seek any
medical care. God is so good!
Everywhere we went, we were greeted with warm
and wonderful hospitality. People opened their homes
to us, fed us, and took us to see the sights in the area.
One person even bought us tickets to the Currumbin
Wildlife Center, which we enjoyed so very much!
Many gave us little gifts of appreciation, and most of
all, we felt loved by everyone we met. The Archers
(Peter, Helen and Danny) took off work to help drive
us all over Australia. I found that the Saints in
Australia are a very kind and loving people, and I want
to thank them for all their generosity, care and love!
I miss them already!
I hope that Hal and I will be able to return someday
to visit once again with our new church family in
Australia. Hal and I both really do feel as if we have a
whole new church family there. In one of the prayer
services at reunion I thought, “Lord, why do I feel
such a great love for these people?” It came to my
mind that this is how we will feel when the Church of
the First Born comes down out of heaven. We will
instantly know them and feel “The Tie That Binds” us
all together, and it comes by the power of the Holy
Spirit. It is the same power that one day will bind us
together in one heart and mind in Zion.
Zion's Call 17
My Experience
in Paradise
-excerpts from a testimony by Betty Jean Richardson
It all started in Portland, Oregon, on a beautiful
summer night in June 1973. I was riding home with
friends, but the driver was driving too fast and refused
to slow down! The next thing I knew, my head was
going through the windshield. I traveled one hundred
forty-seven feet, hitting trees and large shrubs, until I
landed in the field, which was railroad property.
As I lay in the field, suddenly my spirit came out of
my body. It went up through my head and into the sky
and on into the heavens. I then went through a tunnel
of lights, for lack of a better name for it. The tunnel
started out black and then went through the rainbow
of colors and finally to white light. Then I was walking
toward the most beautiful cathedral I have ever seen
in my life. It looked like translucent marble that just
glowed and sparkled all over. I walked up the stairs
of white marble that sparkled like a silver-white horse
and walked down a pure white hall with doors on each
side and one door at the end of the hall.
I walked to the end of the hall and started to open
the door when Jesus stepped out of the door and
hugged me and kissed me on my cheek. What looked
like a projector for film suddenly appeared, and we
reviewed my life. Jesus did not condemn any of my
actions, but I realized my sins and wanted to change.
When we were through, Jesus said I could stay in
heaven or return to earth. Jesus said to me, “Your
daughter will need you, and others will need you in
time.” So I decided it would be better if I returned to
earth to help others. I didn’t feel right staying in
heaven if I was needed on earth to do his will. Still, I
hated to leave, because there you have no pain or
sadness, no regrets, no sorrow. Only love and joy are
yours in heaven.
Later I found out that my body had been injured
very severely in the accident. My injuries included
many broken bones (with compound fractures). Some
bones were crushed. My jaw was wired together. I
had plastic surgery to my face, hands, and breasts and
work done on my legs, stomach, and diaphragm. One
thumb had to be put back on. My spleen was removed.
I had exhaust pipe burns on my legs. I had eye surgery
18 Zion's Call
and many other repair surgeries, including many skin
grafts. The doctors thought I would never walk or see
again, but praise God, I do!
I was able to go through walls in the hospital when
my spirit was out of my body. During all my surgeries,
I could see what the doctors and nurses were doing,
even though I was in a coma. When my body was
lying in the morgue, my spirit could see everything the
coroner was doing. When you’re in your spiritual
body and you’re looking at your physical body, it
doesn’t matter how beautiful the physical body is—it
looks very ugly and smells horrible. It looks like a jar
of clay and smells of sulfur and other gases. I didn’t
want to go back into my physical body.
Every night for years, I cried myself to sleep after
being in paradise. I missed being with Jesus and being
in constant love and joy. I still do, from time to time.
For thus saith the Lord, I, the Lord, am merciful
and gracious unto those who fear me, and
delight to honor those who serve me in
righteousness and in truth unto the end; great
shall be their reward, and eternal shall be their
glory; and to them will I reveal all mysteries; yea,
all the hidden mysteries of my kingdom from
days of old; and for ages to come will I make
known unto them the good pleasure of my will
concerning all things pertaining to my kingdom;
yea, even the wonders of eternity shall they
know . . . for by my Spirit will I enlighten them,
and by my power will I make known unto them
the secrets of my will; yea, even those things
which eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
nor yet entered into the heart of man.
(D&C 76:2a-d)
That Your Hearts Would Be Changed
-by Vincent Truba, Independence, Missouri
This is a series of eight poems that outline our basic beliefs in the Lord’s Church: faith, repentance, baptisms,
laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, eternal judgment, eternal life, plus a conclusion.
[Editor’s Note: These poems will be printed two at a time as a series in this and upcoming issues of Zion’s Call.]
Faith
Repentance
That your hearts would be changed,
I provided FAITH, in things unseen;
To trust in me.
For everything.
That your hearts would be changed,
I provided REPENTANCE, for all your sins;
The Salvation Plan,
Where it all begins.
That your faith would grow,
Like a rising tide;
Filled with the Spirit,
Christ by your side.
Your bended knees,
And your bowed heads;
Asking forgiveness,
From our only Godhead.
It is through study and prayer
That your faith is found;
Then Spiritual experiences,
And your faith becomes sound.
Through Jesus Christ,
Our lone intercessor;
To the God of creation,
And our final Judgment, processor.
When faith becomes knowledge,
Of the Father and Son;
Your treasures in heaven,
Will have just begun.
We are called to Repentance,
In all generations;
Since the Garden of Eden,
And all of its manifestations.
Serve the Lord in faith,
And seek for the truths;
Witness for Him,
And spread the good news.
Saying you’re sorry,
While not repeating the offense;
While Christ reads your mind and your heart,
And your real intents.
To your sacred faith,
You must hold fast;
Believe in the Christ,
And take up your task.
Returning to God,
Is a lifelong plan;
Repentance, provided,
His Salvation Plan.
Now is the time,
Season and hour
To seek the Christ,
And His protective power.
Water baptism,
For remission of sins;
Becoming sin free,
Christ’s example begins.
And don’t let the world,
Pull you aside,
And lose your faith,
Through Worldly pride.
All mankind,
Has been called to Repent;
The laying on of hands
Is the Spiritual Cement.
Zion's Call 19
He Gives Me
Strength
-by Janet Williams, Grain Valley, Missouri
On March 16, 2015, I called upon the Lord and he
gave me strength. I have chronic myofacial pain, which
means that my muscles are very weak and I experience
pain daily. My roommate and I had just moved. I was
in my second-floor attic room of our older house
cleaning an old four-drawer metal file cabinet. The
drawers are full of files and very heavy.
My family had moved the file cabinet into the room
the weekend before. I remember my son chuckling
and telling me that my file drawers were opening
because the floor was not level. He had then situated
it in a spot where the drawers didn’t open on their
own so easily.
I was finally trying to arrange the furniture so that
I could work in the room. I wanted the file cabinet to
be against the wall a few inches from where it had
been placed and used my very strategic scooting skills
to reposition it. The floor apparently slants just
enough that the file cabinet was once again in a spot
where the drawers kept opening on their own. I was
pondering how to remedy the situation while I wiped
down the side of the cabinet, all the while trying to
keep the drawers from sliding open. I didn’t realize
the danger I was going to be in during the next few
minutes.
When more than one drawer is open, the cabinet
loses stability and will tilt forward, even on a level
floor. Before I knew it, two of the drawers rolled out,
causing the cabinet to topple forward and causing the
other two drawers to open also. One drawer fell
totally out of the cabinet, landing on its front end. The
others were protruding from the cabinet, jammed
against the floor and the bed. The cabinet was leaning
forward against the drawers, the bottom corner of the
back side of the cabinet was against the wall behind it.
So there I was, somehow holding the cabinet from
falling further and trying to stabilize the drawers that
were coming out of the cabinet. I’m five feet tall, the
file cabinet being only seven inches shorter than I am.
I stood there holding the cabinet, trying to figure out
20 Zion's Call
what to do. I hollered for my
roommate, but she was sleeping
in her room on the first floor in
the opposite corner of the house
and didn’t hear me.
I quickly asked God to help
me. Then in faith, I proceeded
to do what I could. Looking at
the mess before me, I thought
there was no way I would be
able to fix it. I felt the calm of the
Lord with me and began to try. I tilted the cabinet
back, while trying to keep the drawers from falling. By
his power, I got the cabinet back on the floor and the
drawers out of it with minimal catastrophe.
I assessed the damage to the cabinet. It appeared
that it was still in working order, which I found to be
utterly amazing! I scooted the empty cabinet over to
the wall where I wanted it to be. I found something to
put under the front of the cabinet so it was tilting
backwards and the drawers would not roll out
anymore.
I considered waiting till the next day when my
roommate could help put the drawers back in. But
then, considering that I knew God had been
strengthening me, I decided to at least try to put one
of the drawers back in. Of course, I chose the bottom
one first. That went well, and I thought maybe he
would help me get the next one in. I wouldn’t know
unless I tried, so praying as I tried to lift the second
one, I summoned all my might and hoped God would
do the rest. He is faithful! I was able to lift the
drawer and slide it onto the track. I kept working,
praying each time I began to lift a drawer and while I
was trying to get it positioned onto the tracks. It is
noteworthy that almost all of the files stayed in the
drawers in the correct order!
The last one would not slide back past a certain
point. I tried and tried. I investigated, I reasoned, I
pushed and shoved, to no avail. It just would not go
back in the cabinet. I heard my roommate moving
around. Since she was out of bed, I asked her to help.
She tried and tried. It still would not go in. Finally, I
noticed a small bump in the metal on the back corner
of the drawer. We got a hammer, and she banged the
bump out so it was relatively flat again. She picked up
the drawer and slid it easily back into the cabinet!
I am writing this testimony the day after it
happened. As I look at the file cabinet, I am so
amazed. There it stands, fully operational in the spot
I wanted it, and all the drawers are closed. I am
absolutely sure that there is no way I could have done
any of that on my own. I have never been capable of
lifting even one of those heavy drawers. I am also
convinced that without God, I would have been
physically injured and there would have been serious
damage to the cabinet, my bed, and the wall where the
corner of the cabinet rested. The wall, the cabinet and
the bed are great, and I am just extremely sore. I am
so thankful to my Heavenly Father to be alive and
unharmed and to have the cabinet safe and sound.
“Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that
the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends
of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is
no searching of his understanding. He giveth power
to the faint; and to them that have no might he
increaseth strength” (Isaiah 40:28-29).
I really didn’t know how to reach her, and my heart
was hard toward her. After praying for many months,
one Sunday morning while getting ready for church
and being in prayer, I was filled from head to toe with
love for her. At that moment I was brought to tears,
and I felt I would do anything in the world for her.
For the first time in my life, I knew what it meant
to love someone by the Spirit. This was simply a gift
God gave me out of his grace, but only because I
asked and prepared. It did change the way I was able
to treat her.
If we have the desire to keep this first
commandment, God will bless us with the ability to
love everyone, especially the unlovable!
Have You Found Christ?
-by Edgar Pillsbury, Fall River, Massachusetts
To Love the Unlovable
-by Jill Gowan, Blue Springs, Missouri
“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and
with all thy strength. This is the first commandment.
And the second is like this, Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself” (Mark 12:35-36).
This testimony happened when I was a sophomore
in high school. A girl I will call Mary had been a friend
of mine since age six. We car pooled to dance lessons
and were in school together. Eventually, she and her
mom joined our church. As we grew older, we drifted
apart due to a move and different schools, but most of
all, due to different life choices. Even though we
attended church together, I really had a tough time
loving her.
She had a chip on her shoulder, was cutting with
her words, and in my opinion, quite negative. I began
praying about how to love this girl. I knew she had
low self esteem and conflicts at home between her
parents, so she needed friends.
Recent speculation and doubtful claims have been
made that the cup used by Christ at the Last Supper
has been discovered. People are perpetually anxious
and ready to acknowledge anything which our Lord
might have possessed or used when living upon the
earth, but to find Christ himself should be our eternal
and highest ambition. “And ye shall seek me, and find
me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
And I will be found of you, saith the Lord ” (Jeremiah
29:13-14).
How wonderful to find Christ, to make him your
own, and to worship him according to his will and
specifications. It would be wise to lay aside any search
for our Lord’s personal items and to embark upon a
life’s journey to find him. This is done by serving,
loving, and worshiping him. This leads to undreamed
spiritual heights as we assist him in establishing Zion.
The words of Isaiah 55:6 are wise admonition
which we must consistently use: “Seek ye the Lord
while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is
near.” We must seek him with all our heart, mind,
might, and strength. Being done with lesser things, let
us reach out to him that we may all be able to say, “I
have found the Christ. He is most wonderful to
behold.”
Zion's Call 21
away. That day, I had left the door open on the truck.
I don’t remember ever doing that before. My arms
were like rags. I was able to pull myself into the
truck, but could not start it or blow the horn to get
anyone’s attention. I thought I would die at that time.
I WAS NEARLY EATEN UP
BY A CORN-PICKER
-by Jay W. Thrift
There was no doubt about God performing a miracle
on November 2, 1980. I was shelling corn on that day
at the Smith farm. I told my wife I would not be home
until later (5:30 p.m.).
The machine would not work properly; the auger
would not engage to carry the corn up into the wagon.
I got off the tractor to get a closer look (big mistake).
I pulled on the rope gently to see why the auger
wouldn’t kick in. My gloves caught on the cross shaft.
In no more than two seconds, my arms were gone into
the corn-picker. I only had time to think a mental
prayer: “Lord, help me!”
I could see the bones protruding out of both arms.
At that point, my new snowmobile suit came off
wrapped around the shaft, my pants came off, my
shorts came off, and I only had one pant leg on. I was
naked as my clothing stripped off. I fell back out of the
machine. The tractor was still running. My elbow was
good enough to kill the tractor (turn it off). I was able
enough to walk back to my truck about quarter-mile
A young boy, who lived the closest to the farm,
said that God told him something was wrong at the
Smith farm. He got on his bike and came to the farm.
When he got there, the gates were locked. He turned
to go home, but said he couldn’t. He pushed his bike
into the ditch, around the gates, and came into the
field. He rode his bike around the truck where I sat
and kept going. He never stopped.
I thought, “There went my last chance.” But that
young man knew what he was there to do. He called
9-1-1. There was no time to lose; I had been sitting
there for three-and-one-half hours.
The ambulance came and took me to the Lapeer
Hospital. When we arrived, I saw my body being
pushed down a long hallway on a gurney by five
people and into the emergency room. I was floating
in the upper part of the room, watching the ER people
work over my body, until I went back into my body.
The breathing equipment they had couldn’t do the
job. Two days later, I was transferred to Flint,
Michigan. I was in a coma. I didn’t know anything
for twenty-three days. I was in the hospital for seven
weeks. I had nine broken ribs and multiple breaks in
both arms (twenty-nine broken bones all together). I
went through a long recovery period from my injuries.
I have taken every opportunity to share this
testimony. God plucked me from certain death so I
could testify to the people that HE IS, and he watches
over his people! He gave me a healing and a second
chance to witness for him to the Saints and anyone
else who will listen.
I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth all thy marvelous works.
(Psalm 9:1)
22 Zion's Call
Australian Reunion 2015: A Spiritual Feast
-by Linda L. Kerswell, Queensland, Australia
I had a great time
at reunion this year.
I had been having a
difficult time prior to camp and was almost
begrudging going because it was an expense I really
didn’t have the money for, and I was just over tired
and worn out. As I started preparing the last week
before camp, I did start to feel hopeful of a great time
because I’d had trial after trial. I figured this meant
that the adversary wanted me to pull out, and I
thought it might definitely be worth going.
We had a truly awesome trip to camp, lots of
laughs, sleep, and chatter between the four of us in the
car. I traveled down with my brother, Neil Kerswell,
and his daughter, Emma Kerswell, and my uncle, Noel
Rowlatt. We arrived safely in very good time.
I was rooming with my niece, Emma, and my son’s
girlfriend, Rebecca Young. I had prayed that we’d all
get along and that by the end of the weekend we’d be
truly bonded like a family. I was blessed. We had
laughing, stories, and devotional time in the evening.
It was so great to hear my lovely roommates having
such a wonderful time and seeing Rebecca enjoying
and feeling so loved at her first church camp. My
prayers were answered, but that’s just the start of the
rich blessings that I received at camp.
I had been struggling, as I said earlier, with some
past issues that had been interrupting my sleep,
causing such bad nightmares and a lot of undue stress.
I hadn’t even realized I had been bothered by the issue
that had arisen and had pretty much forgotten about it,
but it raised its head and was causing me anguish.
At camp, there was a class for the women run by
one of our American visitors, Pat, and it really struck
a chord with me. I listened to this woman being so
humbly truthful about a very difficult time in her life.
She told how she had chosen to turn to God for
guidance and just hand all of the troubles she was
facing over to him. It was like God had seen how
much I had been suffering for months and prompted
Pat to be there to give that class just for me.
Each class and service after that gave me just a few
more of the keys to help myself out of the mire I’d
been in. I started to get more and more excited with
each class, even though I was also struggling to find
time to organize the choir and concert. That being
said, it all fell into place in a few minutes and went
really well, so I was stressing over nothing.
I went to my cabin on Saturday night, and my niece
came in. She could tell I was on the verge of crying
and she asked me if I was all right. I told her of all
that had happened so far—about the trials and how
they’d been haunting me, and about how I felt that
Pat’s class was inspired. I felt like a weight had been
lifted and I felt free to move on to healing.
The next day Pat had another class for the women
on the power of prayer. It was incredible. That night
I went to bed and prayed mighty prayers of thanks. I
prayed that the Lord would help me to leave my trials
with him and leave me free to walk away from that
point unburdened. I truly feel like that is what
happened for me. No more nightmares, no more
stress, or random bursting into tears—nothing. It was
all taken. I’ve since handed over other things that I’d
been holding onto as well, and each time I do, I feel
lighter and peaceful.
I got a lot out of all of the classes at reunion. I
learned just how much God loves each individual. I’m
so glad that I’m a child of his! I’m so glad that I went
to camp and sat through those classes and heard things
that I’d in some cases forgotten and in other cases just
hadn’t learned about in such depth. We get so caught
up in our everyday lives that we forget just how
important it is to remove ourselves from it and feast
on the fruits of the Spirit. We certainly did have a
spiritual feast at reunion! I’m just so happy and so
blessed to have been a part of it!
Reprinted from the May 2015 Australian Restoration News
Zion's Call 23
Direction for Protection
A Letter to the Editor
-by Tiffany Jones, Missouri
A year-and-a-half ago, my family
and I were called to take care of
animals for a family. They had three
dogs. One dog was going to be
outside, and the other two dogs
were going to be in the basement.
The two dogs in the basement were aggressive dogs.
They were very territorial, and they had already killed
one of the owner’s dogs and a cat, and had bitten my
husband’s leg.
The morning after getting the call, my children and
I went to the farm to feed the animals. I fed the dog
that was outside and was going to the basement door
to feed the other two dogs. While walking to the
basement door the Lord stopped me and said, “Lock
your children in the barn, and get a stick before
opening the door.” So I gathered the children and had
them go into the barn and close the door. I went up to
the garage and found a walking stick.
I walked down to the basement door, which I could
get to from the outside. I opened the door, and the
two dogs greeted me with growling, barking, and
shiny teeth, like they were going to attack. I tried
coaxing them to go outside, but they didn’t want to,
so I went in with a strong stance. Holding the stick in
my hand, I stamped the stick to the ground and
repeated, “In the name of Jesus Christ” three times.
Then I said, “I come in peace.”
As soon as I said this, they stopped barking, backed
away, and hid behind the stairs. I went to check their
food and water. I turned around and started walking
to the door. The dogs started to follow me, but not in
an aggressive manner.
I am so thankful to the Lord for giving me direction
on what to do. Those dogs could have attacked my
children and even me.
In receiving the recent Zion’s Call and reading the
[request for] contributions, I prayed if the Lord
wanted me to contribute something that he would help
me to know what to give.
I was also inspired by the first article by Mike
Lidberg by what his son gave as a wish in getting the
bigger half of the wishbone. His words were, “I wish
for heaven to come down and be with us on earth.”
His answer made me cry, for we all so need to have
Zion as our first wish and desire.
When my husband, Harry, passed away in October
2013, we had just sold some rental property and
because it was commercial property, we received a
large sum of money. I was very concerned and
prayerful as to where that money should go.
Notwithstanding the many choices I had to invest
in property in this area [Washington], the Lord guided
my situation. After many meetings with my children
and property searches, the opportunity fell into place
to invest in property in the land of Zion. This was a
miracle to me, for it almost didn’t happen.
I know that the Lord did what we could not do in
our own wisdom. After a year of owning this rental
property [in the land of Zion], we have been very
blessed. May all thing be to God’s glory. I feel this is
the right step toward being a part of the Zion that will
be!
I appreciate so much the
Zion’s Call and enjoy the
testimonies that encourage,
strengthen, and give us hope!
Thank you for your work!
Lois Arndt
Milton, Washington
“Put thy trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good; yea, to do justly,
to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit.”
(D&C 10:6)
24 Zion's Call
A Testimony of Tithing
-by Corey Stark, Lee’s Summit, Missouri
Tithing has been something I firmly believe
in—regardless of the spiritual state of the Church. The
blessings of God are eternal. Growing up, I had
always heard of tithing but had never tithed regularly.
When I was first out of college, I finally took
inventory and calculated I owed $154 in tithing. I
didn’t have the money. I was working on a farm that
summer for a whopping $3.25 per hour. I was sharing
a house with my sister and brother-in-law, and my
expenses were few.
I decided I would sacrifice something to save the
money, so for three weeks I rode my bike to work
(and everywhere) to save gas money. After about a
month, I got paid cash for one week and had exactly
$154. I was so happy. I put the cash in my sock and
rode my bike home (I lived in Blue Springs at the
time) with the full intent of putting that cash in an
envelope as soon as possible and sending it to the
bishop.
I walked in the house, and my sister was crying.
She said the propane tank was empty, and she didn’t
know what to do. There was no hot water in the
house, and she was nursing my nephew. We had all
gathered in to the Center Place, and no one had any
steady work yet. Times were hard. She had no money,
but she had called the propane company, and they
brought the minimum amount of propane. They said
that she could come to the office to pay and left the
bill with her. It was $152. She was crying because she
didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know how the bill
was going to get paid. Without a word, I pulled out
the cash from my sock and presented it to her. She
was elated beyond words.
I was not able to put the money in the envelope for
the bishop that day, but I knew her need was greater.
I felt God wanted me to learn that it is always
important that we meet our basic living needs and
serve others with our substance. I was able to keep
riding my bike, and by the end of the summer I did
send the $154 to the Church. I have never regretted it.
In paying tithing for about thirty years, I have
found many blessings. One blessing is simply this:
Each year I have owed more tithing than the previous
year, which is simply an
indicator that God increases
our increase if we are faithful
to him.
After my wife, Marji, and I
had owned our first house for
a while, we were about to
outgrow it. We decided it was time to move. We put
up a “For Sale by Owner” sign. I had calculated our
tithing for that year, but had not taken the time to send
in the statement to the bishop as I had in years
past—believing that it was more of a formality than a
necessity. But there was this burning feeling that if I
would take care of filling out the statement and
sending it in, perhaps our house would sell.
One night, I felt urged to complete the accounting.
As I signed the paper on our kitchen table and put it in
the envelope, I picked up my Bible, and it fell out of
my hands onto the kitchen table. It opened exactly to
the verse in Malachi 3:10 stating, “I will . . . pour you
out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to
receive it.” The Spirit burned in confirmation.
That morning I dropped off the envelope at the
post office on the way to work. By the time I arrived
at work there was a message from Marji to call home.
(This was pre-cell phone days.) I called home, and
Marji said a family had called to make an offer on the
house—full asking price—and they made the offer at
the exact time I was putting the tithing envelope in the
post office box.
Even more so, we wanted whoever purchased our
house to have the same spiritual blessings we had had
there. It turned out the folks making the offer were
Church members, too. They still live there to this day,
twenty-two years later.
I have many times received blessings in multiples of
the amount I tithed. A few years ago I filed our
tithing, and on the very next day was offered a
contract for exactly ten times the amount I had just
committed to pay in tithing. This has happened more
than once. God will bless us when we are faithful in
keeping his financial law.
Zion's Call 25
Keeping the Word of Wisdom:
The Truth about Commercial Wheat Products
-by Debbie Norman, Oak Grove, Missouri
A key principle of Section 86 of the
Doctrine and Covenants is that grain is the staff of life,
and wheat, particularly, is for the use of man [human
beings]. However, commercially produced wheat
products are a poor representation of the nutritious grain
God created. Let’s look at a few reasons why this is true.
Commercially produced wheat flour is milled on
rollers which separate the bran and germ from the starchy
endosperm. For white flour, only the endosperm is used.
Read my previous articles in Zion’s Call or on my blog 1
for a summary of the health hazards of eating refined
white flour baked goods. Then consider this additional
hazard to your health: White flour is almost always
bleached by chemicals such as benzoyl peroxide,
nitrogen dioxide, chlorine gas—or even worse—
azodicarbonamide or potassium bromate. White flour is
bleached to speed up the softening and whitening process
which occurs naturally in about twelve weeks. It takes
only forty-eight hours if bleaching chemicals are used.
The North American Millers’ Association (NAMA)
says this: “In the bleaching process, flour is exposed to
chlorine gas or benzoyl peroxide to whiten and brighten
flour color. The bleaching agents react and do not leave
harmful residues or destroy nutrients. In soft wheat
products chlorine gas is also used to control cookie
diameter and cake height.” 2 Because these bleaching
agents are purported to leave no residue, they are not
required to be listed on the labels. In spite of NAMA’s
insistence of their safety, the chemicals listed above are
all banned in Europe and other parts of the world.
“That’s okay,” you say. “I’ll just buy whole wheat
flour.” While that is a big step in the right direction and
will avoid exposure to bleaching chemicals, commercial
whole wheat flour is not what you think it is. Most
consumers assume that whole wheat flour contains
ground up whole kernels of wheat. Unfortunately, this is
not true of commercially milled whole wheat flour (and
subsequently not true for commercial whole wheat baked
goods). Commercial whole wheat flour (even if it says
“100% whole wheat) is NOT 100% of the wheat kernel.
Commercial roller mills ALWAYS separate the
endosperm from the germ and bran. To make “whole
wheat flour,” some bran and some germ are added back
into the white (endosperm only) flour. The healthy oils of
the germ are usually not added back in, since they go
rancid rapidly and would greatly reduce the shelf life of
the flour. So with commercial whole wheat flour and
baked goods, you are still missing out on a significant
portion of the nutrition that God packed into wheat.
It gets worse! Previously, I have recommended that
if one cannot grind their own fresh flour, then one should
try to purchase stone ground whole wheat flour. Whole
wheat flour that is ground at old-fashioned stone burr
mills is actually whole wheat. Nothing is taken out or
added back in. Unless you have a stone burr mill in your
neighborhood, the stone ground flour will not be as fresh
and nutritious as home-milled flour, but at least it is the
real thing.
However, while researching online, I came across
disturbing information. Dated back in 2006, an article
from USA Today titled “The hard truth about
stone-ground flour” said that “for many big companies,
stone-ground is just a marketing phrase.” A spokesperson for General Mills was quoted as saying the label
“stone ground” on their Gold Medal flour simply means
that the “flour products have passed through an actual
stone mill at least once.” In other words, companies may
deceptively “pass” their grain “through” a stone mill and
then mill the flour on commercial roller mills as I have
described above and still legally label it “stone ground.”
It turns out that there are NO federal requirements on
the use of the term stone-ground on food labels. None.
The owners of Hodgson Mills—an actual stone burr mill
which produces flour that is truly stone ground—found
this to be outrageous (and I do, too)! In 2001, they filed
a petition with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
to establish a standard of identity for the term “stone
ground” as applied to wheat flour. In 2002, the FDA
denied their petition saying Hodgson Mills “did not
provide any data to show what consumers understand the
term ‘stone ground’ to mean and to show that consumers
are buying a product labeled ‘stone ground’ that differs
from their expectations.” 3
So when you reach for that brand name loaf of 100%
stone ground whole wheat bread, there is NO assurance
that it is really made with stone ground whole wheat flour
instead of commercially milled counterfeit whole wheat
flour (in spite of a picture of a mill on the label). The
same goes for that box of crackers that says “Made with
stone ground wheat” on the front, and for the bag of flour
labeled “Stone ground whole wheat.” The “evils and
designs” which God warned us would “exist in the hearts
of conspiring men” are very real (D&C 86:1a).
If you must buy flour, I now recommend purchasing
it only from reliable sources which operate a legitimate
stone burr (or other non-roller type) mill. Two of which
I know are Bob’s Red Mill and Hodgson Mill. If you
must buy bread or baked goods, look for ones sold in
natural foods stores which are produced by smaller
companies (not the giant conglomerates). Look for the
100% whole grain label and a minimum of ingredients.
(I hope to discuss commercial bread additives and
ingredients in a future article.)
(urbanhomemaker.com); and The Bread Beckers
(breadbeckers.com). The Bread Becker’s site also has a
wealth of information in their blog articles and
instructional video library.
I grind with a Whisper Mill. I have been totally happy
with its trouble-free performance under steady use for the
eight or nine years I have owned it. Although Whisper
Mills are no longer available, the Wonder Mill is
manufactured in the same plant and said to be a nearly
identical product with some upgrades, such as a more
powerful motor with more air flow.
Of course, a MUCH better option would be to invest
in your own grain mill! I believe this should be a priority
for most families. God said grain is the staff of life, and
the best way to receive all the goodness of grain is to mill
fresh flour in your own kitchen and bake with it
immediately! The nutritional superiority of fresh ground
flour over store-bought whole grain flour is vast. Even if
you never bake a loaf of yeast bread, it is worth the
investment of a kitchen mill to grind flour for pancakes,
muffins, waffles, and other quick breads. Maybe you
could even find a friend who would bake bread for you in
exchange for milling fresh flour.
After reading many reviews and comments, I do not
recommend buying a grain mill attachment for a Kitchen
Aid. Many say that grinding grain will burn out the
Kitchen Aid gears in a short time.
After you have invested in a grain mill, you might also
consider a grain flaker (sometimes called a roller). I have
the Marga Mulino Flaker. It is hand cranked, but quick
and easy to use. Pour the oat groats in the top and crank
away for the freshest, tastiest, most nutritious oatmeal
ever! Other grain flakers that get good reviews are the
KoMo Flocino or KoMo FlicFloc.
When considering the purchase of a mill, the first
question many people ask is whether they should buy a
manual or electric mill. I recommend that you buy an
electric mill. Manual mills are fine for emergency back
up, but grind much slower and take a considerable
physical effort, making them impractical for regular use.
We need to take the Word of Wisdom seriously! It is
God’s Word for our temporal salvation!
1. Please visit my blog at
www.RunningWithTheGrain.blogspot.com
So which electric mill is best? From my research, I
recommend three brands, and I am confident that any one
of them would be a satisfactory investment: NutriMill,
Wonder Mill, and KoMo Mills. See the table below for
comparisons. Here are several online stores I
recommend which sell grain mills: Pleasant Hill Grain
(pleasanthillgrain.com); The Urban Homemaker
2. North American Millers’ Association
http://www.namamillers.org/education/wheat-milling-pro
cess/
3. FDA reply to Hodgson Mills’ petition
http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/02/Jul02/07090
2/80016bd4.pdf
NutriMill
Wonder Mill
KoMo Mills
Price as of May 2015
$240
$220
$400 and up
Grinding method
Stainless steel impact heads
Stainless steel impact heads
Corundum-ceramic burrs
What will it grind?
All dried grains, including small
grains such as quinoa and
amaranth.
Dried legumes.
All dried grains, including small
grains such as quinoa and
amaranth.
Dehydrated sprouted grain.
Dried legumes.
Some spices.
All dried grains, including small grains
such as quinoa and amaranth (but
popcorn in not recommended)
Dried legumes
Spices. **Has interchangeable insert
system to avoid cross-contamination**
What will it not grind?
Not suitable for herbs, spices,
nuts, oily seeds like flax, fibrous
materials, or dried sprouted
grains or seeds.
Not suitable for nuts, oily seeds
and some spices.
Not suitable for herbs, oily seeds like
flax, popcorn, or fibrous materials.
Grinding adjustments
Fine flour to coarse meal
Fine flour to coarse meal
Fine flour to coarse meal, cracked grain
And believe in prophesying, and in revelations, and in the ministering of angels,
and in the gift of speaking with tongues, and in the gift of
interpreting languages, and in all things which are good:
For there is nothing which is good, save it comes from
the Lord; and that which is evil, cometh from the devil.
And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should
come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and
partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption.
Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an
offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying,
and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth,
ye will be saved.
(Omni 1:44-47)
Read The Book of Mormon
For more information about the Book of Mormon, or the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ
restored to earth in the latter days, write to Zion’s Call at the address below.
Zion’s Call
Church of Jesus Christ Oak Grove Restoration Branch
c/o Debbie Norman
9664 Gillespie Road
Napoleon, MO 64074
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT #44
OAK GROVE, MO
64075