The Sweater: A Lesson in Charity by Hannah Platt

I love the scripture in Mosiah 18 in the Book of Mormon, when Alma baptizes 200+ souls in the waters of Mormon. After they have been baptized and have made covenants with the Lord, they talk of their experience in that place. Verse 30 says, "And now it came to pass that all this was done in Mormon, yea, by the waters of Mormon, in the forest that was near the waters of Mormon; yea, the place of Mormon... how beautiful they are to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer; yea, and how blessed are they, for they shall sing to his praise forever.”

Just as that place became beautiful to those people because of their experiences there, Honduras became beautiful to me because of what I experienced there on my mission. For it was there, in that small country, where I came to a knowledge of my Redeemer. It was there that I came to know who He is and what He has done for all of us. It was there that I learned to love Him and learned how to be like Him. It was there that I learned forgiveness and repentance. And it was there that I came to know Him.

I remember one such experience. I was serving at the time in a small area called Sabana Grande. One night, we went to visit a member family before we headed home to finish the day. This family consisted of a mother and one little nine-year-old daughter. They were very, very poor and lived in a shack. What broke my heart about this little family is that both the mother and her little girl had a rare stomach disease that couldn't be treated in Honduras. They would both eventually die from it. Because of the pain that accompanied this disease, the mother couldn't work, and therefore they lived off the charity of family members and friends. This simple little family taught me a lesson, though, that I will never ever forget.

That night that we went to see them and to share a message with them, it turned a little cold, something that is very rare for Honduras. I remember, I began to shiver as we shared our message. The mother, clearly seeing my shivers, whispered something in her daughter’s ear. The daughter ran into one of the poorly built rooms and brought me out a sweater that she draped around my shoulders. As we concluded our message, we stood up to leave, and I took off the warm little sweater to hand back to that dear family. However, as I began to hand it to the mother, she pushed it back into my hands, and told me to keep it, so that I would always be warm, and that when I put it on, I would think of them. Knowing how little they had, I began to refuse, but as I looked into her eyes, I saw such a deep and pure love, that I took it back and held onto it tightly. As soon as we had gone a little ways from their house, I began to cry. I think it was in that moment that I understood what charity, the pure love of Christ, is. It is unselfish, it is pure, it is patient, it is real.

They had given me a simple sweater, something that might not hold much significance with most of us, but I know how much that cost them. They had absolutely nothing, barely any clothes for themselves, and yet, here they had given me a precious piece of clothing to keep me warm and to let me know they loved me. As I contemplated that love, I realized that when I had looked into the mother’s eyes, as she told me to keep the sweater, I was seeing someone else’s eyes. I was looking into the eyes of Christ. He was there, in that little mother and in that sweet daughter, and my faith and understanding of Him grew. The love that Christ has for us is limitless. It passes all boundaries; it encompasses all lives. He paid the ultimate price and gave His life so that we could live. The love that He has, charity, is something that we can't even comprehend. My faith grew in Him so much that night. I understood Him more.

Whenever I'm now tempted to be selfish or spiteful, I think of that little family, and I think of what I saw in their eyes. That leads me to again reflect on Christ and on His great love. I know that He lives. He is the Savior of us all. I know that change is real and possible through His infinite atonement. He gave us everything. He gave us the chance to start over. I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to serve a mission and to come to know Him in a unique and special way. I love this Gospel, and I know that it has been restored to this earth!

Crosby Round-Up 2016 by Sharon Crosby

Our 2016 reunion, August 13, 2016, was slated to be held, come heck or high water! The water did come, but I'm getting ahead of myself. We had a scrumptious breakfast at Brandon's and Carrie's in their beautiful backyard. Eight of the grandsons played a rough game of rugby after we ate. We so enjoyed just basking in the shade, but the day was full of activities yet to be enjoyed. So, off to the ranch we went.

The Frazier girls planned a fun rodeo with stick horses for all the little kids. It was so fun to watch, especially since all of them were under 6 years of age! Then they invited an adult to ride on the back of their horses. Hmmm! Hilarious! Allyson demonstrated each event, so the little ones would know how and what to do. They did pole bending, barrel racing, and a couple of other races. Several of the kids, old and young, agreed to Ride the Hide. It was a bumpy, dusty ride; nonetheless, it was so much fun. The Egg Toss game was interesting. Everyone paired up that we had room for, and well, they tossed the “raw” egg back and forth, stepping back each throw. Cade and Tyler were the last standing, so they won, I guess, as the broken egg ended up on me and on Steve! Oh, they thought that was fun! We ended up playing Musical Chairs for the older grands, not for the feint of heart. (Garrett, you owe me a lawn chair!)  (The pop-up shades saved our bacon!)

We ate lunch somewhere in here, but it didn't take long as there were still activities to be enjoyed.

Uncle Joe set up the trap shooting event and several of the adult grands parked right there the remainder of the day! Of course, it was a smashing success.

The weather was hot and mucky and the kids (and the adults) needed to get cooled off.  We did get high water down the slide in the ditch that Steve constructed, and everyone enjoyed it, needless to say. Kinley's advice to Grandpa was to make it steeper and faster next time! A couple of the older girl grands took the mud and water to a different level by wrestling in it. That was fun to watch, Hope and Alissa! Cassidy was close by as well. It could have been a lot more involved. Steve and some of the grandsons fixed a swing across the wide ditch. Oh, my! Can you imagine all the little kids playing in the water and the mud?! They had a ball. The kids had to climb up this short ladder and get in line, so Aunt Lissa could push them over/through the water, splashing water on the onlookers every chance they got. They could have gone on forever!

As we drug up and headed for home, we were ready for a shower and a nap, young and old alike. About 6 PM we all headed for Aunt Brandee's wearing our new reunion t-shirts for family pictures. After that was all said and done, we ate Spanish food, topped off with banana splits and S'mores. As the kids were still going strong, the adults kicked back, visiting and watching the wild ones. The last game we divided up into groups and acted out a scenario which required us to use a catch phrase three times. That was very entertaining. We had a lot of help planning out the day, but everyone pitched in, helping and cleaning up. 

Of all the responses I received to my query about what they liked best, Tad said, “My favorite thing about the reunion, besides visiting with Dad and Mom, was the interaction everybody had with each other, whether it was gaming or eating, or just sitting and visiting. Thanks for all your hard work.”  Brandee said,”My favorite was watching everyone enjoy each other’s company. It seemed like no one wanted to leave. That was awesome!” I guess it is safe for us to say, “Guess we'll do it another year.”

Beautiful Thailand by Brandee Davis

"We have to hurry,” he said. "The shuttle van will leave without us.” It was Sunday morning in Bangkok, Thailand. We had been in this big city for two days so far, with the boy we hadn't seen for two years. It was amazing. We couldn't believe our eyes, or our ears, as we sat back and listened to this child of ours speaking this different but beautiful language to complete strangers. This boy, who has never been one to step out of his comfort zone, was now looking for people to talk to. About anything. And everything.

We got to the shuttle place, which was under a large freeway, and a bit sketchy. We climbed into this fifteen-passenger van and waited for everyone to load up. It was going to be a two-hour drive. Not too bad. The A/C kind of worked. It could've been way worse, so we were good, but we were so happy to get out of that van when we hit Lopburi. As we got out of the van, Elder Davis told us we only had ten minutes and that we had to hurry. We did hurry, and we made it on time.

As we entered their store-front-looking church building, it was nice. You could tell they took great pride in their new church. Immediately they all hurried to say hello to an old friend. Elder Davis was so happy to see these beautiful people whom he served and loved. As they began their meeting, we began to look around. What a beautiful spirit these humble Thai people had! As they began to sing, you could feel their love for God. We couldn't understand what they said, but we felt it with our hearts. At the end of the meeting, they asked Elder Davis to say a few words. We didn't know what he said to those sweet people, but we could tell by the way they listened, that they loved what he had to say about the Gospel.

Immediately following the meeting, they all invited us to come back and eat with their branch after the three-hour block. We really wanted to return to be with them, but we had an errand to run first. Elder Davis wanted to go a visit a friend who couldn't make it to church that day, so we left to see her. We caught a tuk tuk over to her work. She was thrilled to see Elder Davis. He visited with her for just a few minutes, and while we were there, he received a phone call, again asking if we would please come back to eat with the church members. We headed right back. When we got there, the youth were setting up tables for lunch. Out of probably seventy people in their branch, I bet fifty or more stayed to eat. They loved one another. They truly enjoyed each other's company. As we looked around at these sweet, kind, humble people, who would give you anything they had, if only you'd ask, we were in awe, and we were ashamed.

What do we take for granted? Absolutely everything. What a great example those people were to us that day! We will never forget them. The charity they showed was such an example, as they fed us first, gave us the most, and wanted more than anything for us to be happy and just enjoy being there. What a gift they gave us that day! We are so blessed! Blessed to live where we do. Blessed to be able to speak freely and worship how we choose, without fear. We are so grateful to those people for loving Elder Davis the way they did. For taking care of him while we were unable to. That gift of love will never be forgotten.  

A Grizzly Bear and an Answer to Prayer by Laurette Platt

With the celebration of Pioneer Days, the reflection of inspiring stories from past relatives came into my mind and a desire to share those sweet tales with my grandchildren. So I preceded to relate the adventure my Grandpa Fredrick Hamblin had with a grizzly bear upon a high mountain in Alpine.

To prepare them for this introduction to this brave relative, we got into the minivan and traveled to the beautiful town of Alpine itself. Before reaching the cemetery to find his grave, and see the mountain where the bear lived, we, of course, stopped at the Lollipop Shop for nourishment and refreshment. With suckers in hand and taffy and chocolate in the bag, we found the quaint cemetery hidden among the pines. It was delightful to watch the children run from headstone to headstone as we located Grandpa Hamblin's grave and so many of our dear relatives. They were thrilled to become acquainted with these great people and laughed and squealed with joy as each person was found. We finally set upon the ground, tired and happy with our candy in tow as I began the tale of their great, great, great grandpa. I thought you as readers would enjoy this story as well. It is an inspiration to all who hear it of great faith and perseverance.

Grandpa Hamblin was one of two men who purchased the entire Alpine Valley. He is brother to Jacob Hamblin, the famous tracker and missionary to the Indians. Grandpa had also served as a missionary along with Jacob and was equal in his ability to track and hunt. After the acquisition of the land, Frederick moved his family to the beautiful mountains and began his trade as a rancher and farmer. He was married to Frances Jane Prudum, and they had a happy and prosperous life in the lovely white mountains.

One early winter morning, Grandpa arose to begin his chores. After feeding and checking on the water, he noticed a dead calf in one of his fields. Upon further investigation, he saw bear tracks - Grizzly Bear tracks - all around the dead animal! His heart sank within his chest as he knew the bear would be back for more cattle. He resolved upon a stratagem right then. He would track the bear and kill it. The predator would be gone, and they would have bear meat for the winter as well as a warm winter coat. 

He got his trusted horse, Lucky, his best gun, and food for the day. After bidding the family he loved so much goodbye, he began his journey of tracking the huge animal. The trail led him up one of the tall mountains surrounding the beautiful valley, but Grandpa Hamblin had no success the whole day. He was led on a merry goose chase all over that mountain without a trace of that bear. The day was going quickly, and Frederick realized he would have to head home soon.  Tired and discouraged, he sat on a log to rest, with Lucky by his side. After a few minutes, he heard a rustle behind him in the bushes. As he turned to look, a horrible site caught his eyes. The grizzly bear was upon him, standing to his fullest height and ready to attack. Grandpa had no time to load his gun before the animal was upon him. He instead used the gun to deliver blows to the bear's head and down his throat. It stopped the attack for a minute, and, in the process, knocked out several of the bear's teeth. Alas, it was not long before the bear was upon him, ready to destroy his life. Grandpa was a strong and healthy man so was able to defend himself for some time. In the fight, the bear lost two claws off one paw and three off of the other. As time wore on, though, it became evident that the Grizzly was winning. Frederick became weak from the loss of so much blood and began to realize the bear was killing him. At that point, he began to pray fervently for God's help. As he prayed, a distinct thought came into his mind. He was told to fall to the ground and not to move. He must lay as still as possible, as if he were already dead. Grandpa immediately did as the spirit instructed him to do. As soon as he fell, the bear stopped the work of destruction and got down on all fours. He then began to circle Grandpa Hamblin, sniffing him as he went and nudging him with his nose. After several minutes, the bear ran off into the forest, and Grandpa was left alone with his wounds.

He lay for a long time in shock and gratitude that he was yet alive. He was finally able to, by the grace of God, pull himself up and get onto his valiant horse. He lay across the horse’s back and prayed for a safe return to the cabin.  Lucky was a true and steady horse and was able to make his way down the mountain and back home without losing Grandpa to the ground. It was way after dark when they rode into the homestead. Jane and the children had been praying fervently as well and watching and hoping. As he came to the cabin, they ran out but could not recognize him as he was covered in blood! It was a cold night, and they quickly got him inside, scared and yet overjoyed that he was safe. They made a bed by the roaring fire and began the process of cleaning his wounds while providing hot soup and drink to nourish his depleted body. It took six months for Frederick to walk again and recover. For the first month all he could say was the word "bear" over and over again.

When spring finally came, two hunters visited Grandpa at the cabin. They had interesting news for him. They had been upon the mountain when they came upon a bear that had died. As they inspected it, they realized it was a grizzly and was missing a great number of teeth as well as two claws on one paw and three on the other. They knew it was the bear he had fought, and Grandpa confirmed that for them. The bear must have starved to death with few teeth left and no claws. After they left, Grandpa again knelt in prayer to thank Heavenly Father for saving his life and answering his prayer. Frederick fathered 17 children, established the town of Alpine, and served God all his days.

May this great story touch your family as it has ours for so many years. May it give you hope in the power of prayers and the inspirational whisperings of the spirit. God bless you all!