Mountain Top History

From E. Bruce Preece

5055 Connaught Drive Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Mentioning the mission home address seems like an appropriate way to begin this next segment of my personal history, inasmuch as my experiences of the next three years mostly originated here. Having kept a daily journal of my experiences as a mission president, beginning in October of 1974, I am provided with a resource for much of the "hundredth part" which I shall write- paraphrasing the familiar restrictive writing lament of Book of Mormon prophets.

The recent issue, April, 1996, of Alaskan Airlines magazine contains a fine article on the bustling metropolitan city of Vancouver. The writer states, "Shaughnessy's curving, sun-draped streets are lined with Edwardian mansions." The brown and white 35-room home on Connaught Drive, with its three storied Tudor architecture, set in the heart of fashionable Shaughnessy Heights known also for its numerous ornamental cherry and maple trees, was one of the mansions mentioned in the article. Built in the early 1920's by Lester Brooks of the Brooks Scanlon Lumber Empire, the home in 1927 later became the property of a prominent Vancouver family in by the name of Hager, whose wealth had come from the fishing industry. The LDS Church purchased the mansion for $65,000 in 1960. Extensive renovation rendered the home suitable for use as headquarters of the church's Alaskan-Canadian Mission and home for the mission president's family.

Now, with a gardener, Fred Glups, to groom the grounds, a full time live-in housekeeper, Sister Adeline Simms who would also care for our children and Sister Edna Harnett, a full time live-in cook to prepare meals, I found living in these luxurious surroundings quite different than to what I had been accustomed, but confident that our family could make the adjustments necessary. A warm spirit of love and cooperation prevailed in the home, despite the number of and different types of personalities represented. Typical of the positive feeling found in the home was the time when our eight year old son Stewart spoke to his friend Derek May about our cook, "That's Sister Harnett-she's perfection!"

We also chuckled when our 14-year-old Stephen told of an incident that occurred at the Quilchena Middle school shortly after he enrolled. A questionnaire he filled out asked, "How many people live in your household?" Stephen's response of 16 required an explanation for his school teacher. A brief description of the sprawling home might help to understand how the 16, more or less, who lived there functioned as one big happy family, most of the time. First there was the "Celestial Kingdom", so named by the mission staff who occupied the top floor. Newly arrived missionaries and those on transfer were also put up temporarily. The mission president's family occupied most of the second floor, with a place at one end reserved for the housekeeper. The ground or main floor provided space for the living room, dining room, kitchen, parlor, foyer, ball room and president's office. The basement housed the printing press, commissary, president's two assistants' office, laundry room and living quarters for the cook. Now, Instead of the feet of dancers of another era gliding over the parquet floor of the spacious ballroom at social events, the feet of missionaries, priesthood leaders, and members moved about on it, engaged in firesides, conferences, orientations, open houses, training meetings, etc. Both Steve and Dave learned how to operate the mission off-set printing press, located in a basement room formerly used by the former tenant as a wine cellar, earning spending money after school, on Saturdays and during the summer.

On occasion, while seated in my office in the mission home fronting Connaught Drive, I would glance out the window and wonder what the tour bus driver had to say to his riders about the mansion as it stopped each day on a tourist route of the city. Along with my predecessors, I had hoped to one day pay the fare and listen to his dialogue, but never seemed to find the time. At least one U.S. President, Herbert Hoover, a friend of the Hagers along with other notables had visited the home or had been guests of the Hagers, including John Charles Thomas and Richard Crooks of the Metropolitan Opera. With funds that had been allocated by the Church Missionary Department to refurnish the home, Nancy and a professional decorator refurbished and changed the furniture soon after our arrival.

Early on, Nancy and I decided that we would maintain an open-door policy toward the mission home, with an open invitation to members and non-members to visit and enjoy its facilities. We encouraged visitors to sign and offer comments in the day book situated in the foyer to the home. We held several open houses during our three year stay to which we invited people in the city, along with missionary contacts, to tour the home, take part in special presentations and enjoy refreshments in an effort to utilize the facility as a missionary tool. I particularly enjoyed the visit one night of the world famous artist Robert Wood, who the missionaries had stumbled on to while tracting in West Vancouver, and had invited to the home. I greatly admired all of his paintings, but the one entitled Owens Valley, a large print of which hung over the fireplace in our living room, naturally had the most meaning for me. The painting of a peaceful pastoral green valley surrounded by lofty snow capped mountains reminded me a little of Heber Valley where we once lived. The artist told me how he had painted the original with the aid only of a spatula, no brushes, and had sold it for a mere few hundred dollars; a work later valued in the tens of thousands of dollars.

At Christmas time, our life sized manger scene on the upper south wing deck of the home along with an array of brightly colored lights on and surrounding the mansion, drew a steady stream of passersby. Snow, on occasion, greatly enhanced the beauty of these outdoor decorations. We put Elder Ewell (pronounced yule) whose family at home had decorated Christmas trees commercially, in charge of snow flocking the huge tree which then stood resplendent in the foyer of the mission home during the holidays. As part of that first Christmas season, we hosted a special open house with over 300 people attending, most of whom were non-members of the church.

Shortly after arriving in the mission field, I received a call from my friend George Durrant who at the time was serving as mission president in Kentucky. When I asked for any advice he might have as an experienced mission president, he told how building a swing in the front of the mission home for his children was the first and most important thing he had done. It was George's way of communicating to me the importance of putting first the needs of the family before any other responsibilities of the mission. Our building a floor box hockey set, using real but modified hockey sticks and a golf ball, for the family and missionaries to use served as the equivalent of a swing, I believe. Wearing one set out and having to build another later attested to the popularity of this lively activity. (We still have a box hockey game at our home in Vancouver, Washington!) On the down side soon after our arrival, someone stole the children's new Schwinn bicycles that we had brought from Bend from the mission home carport. We considered this act to somewhat carry a "welcome to the big city", message.

Since our children had grown up in Canada, they generally did well with the move back to B.C.; however, the mission home experience seemed particularly difficult for Cathy, in some regards. Steve, Stew and later Karen, our Lamanite foster daughter, seemed to enjoy living in the mission home as did David on his holiday visits and stays from Bend during the summer months. Dave seemed to fit comfortably with the Williams family in Bend during the school year taking part in church and school functions. We were delighted to learn that he had been called as an assistant to Bishop Williams in the Priest's Quorum in the Bend 1st Ward. The children engaged in a variety of different activities during our stay in the mission field which I will treat in more detail in the section entitled "Family Life In The Mission Remembered." I considered ourselves a rather typical Mormon garden variety family but certainly living in atypical circumstances at the present time.

One morning, Elder Howard Stucki, our likable mission recorder from Hurricane, Utah, bounded down the stairs from the mission home's Celestial Kingdom with a letter in hand to share exciting news at the breakfast table. His father, also with CES, had written to say that he and his wife had unexpectedly been offered the opportunity to participate in the Israel Lands of the Scriptures Workshop in the spring. Elder Stucki commented, "Some couple who had planned to go had to drop out opening up the way for my parents to go." It dawned on us that the "some couple" was Nancy and me. However we figured that if we had to make space for someone else to go to the Holy Land, we were happy it could be for the parents of one of our missionaries.

Soon after getting settled in the mission field, I felt the need to discover and adopt a mission symbol suitable for us to rally around-one that would build unity within the mission and foster esprit d'corps with the missionaries. I made the quest a matter of prayer. While reading section 112 of the Doctrine and Covenants as I flew back to Vancouver from Cranbrook following a Kootenay District Conference, I came to verses 7 and 8 which read: "I, the Lord have a great work for thee to do, in publishing my name among the children of men. Therefore, gird up thy loins for the work. Let thy feet be shod also, for thou are chosen, and thy path lieth among the mountains." As I gazed out of the plane window at the rugged towering mountains below, so characteristic of British Columbia, I felt a warm spirit confirm this scripture as our motto and that we should use mountains as the symbol for the mission.

I enthusiastically presented the idea to my assistants, Elders Jackson and Deaton, who endorsed the concept wholeheartedly, as did eventually the entire mission. By choosing lofty Mt. Assiniboine, an 11,870 foot peak located in the eastern part of the province, as the specific mountain to feature, we took on the name of the Mountain Top Mission. We related to a sentiment expressed by James Outran, the first man to climb Mount Assiniboine. Said he, "there is a wonderful fascination about mountains. Their massive grandeur, mystery of lofty height, splendor of striking outline-craig, pinnacle and precipice-seem to appeal both to the intellect and to the immortal soul of man and to compel a mingling of reverence and love."

Soon most everything we did in the mission reflected the symbolism of mountains. Our elders and sisters proudly became known as Mountain Top missionaries; We also renamed the districts with names of local mountains and all letters and publications bore the new symbol. Soon the elders and sisters could be heard singing the newly composed mountain top mission song "The Mountains" at district and zone meetings or while walking the street tracting. Missionaries learned how to teach naturally and convincingly by a process termed "Conquest Teaching." We also devised a plan called "Trail to the Top" to assist missionaries to honorably conclude their mission experience. Our mission secretary Brian Wight's artistic mother in Los Angeles, oil painted a large picture of Mt. Assiniboine, donating it to the mission. When completed, she and her dentist husband flew up to Vancouver from L.A. to attend the special unveiling ceremony before hanging it in a prominent place in the mission home. Incidentally, before leaving California, Sister Wight had the painting appraised at $7,800.

In the monthly mission bulletin, now called The Mountain Top, announcement of the new symbolism to the elders and sisters began with these words; "most people feel something vibrant and inspiring about mountains! Since the beginning of history, mountains have been used as symbols of the great qualities of human personalities at their best. Samuel Walter Foss had this in mind when he wrote, 'Bring me men to match my mountains; Bring me men to match my plains; Men with empires in their purpose and new eras in their brains.' In the welcome letter sent to new missionaries soon to arrive in the great Canada Vancouver Mission, the concluding paragraph read: "With excitement we anticipate your arrival! We urgently need missionaries who will match the mountains of missionary work and who will master the challenges of teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people who live beneath the lofty peaks of our beautiful British Columbia. Come now, and join our valiant band of Mountain-top Missionaries!"

While contemplating British Columbia's spectacular scenery, I am reminded of Nancy's patriarchal blessing which in part reads, "thou shalt enjoy the splendor of the earth." Surely this blessing found fulfillment as she and I crisscrossed this magnificent land of incredible beauty during these three adventurous and eventful mission years. Another part of her blessing stated, "in thy associations with the Saints, the great minds, even the elite of the earth, thy life shall be enriched beyond thy fondest hopes." This wonderful pronouncement leads me to tell about the close association we had with the missionaries, for whom we developed such a fondness, members and leaders in the stakes, mission districts and region that we grew to love and for visiting General Authorities of the Church and their wives from whom we received many kind words of encouragement and wise counsel.

The call of mission president of course included the prerogative of choosing two counselors. For my first counselor I chose Keith Moroni Humphreys, who had recently been released as president of Vancouver Stake and who I had known from my first mission to Canada in the middle 1950's. I selected Alma Sloan Smith, a dynamic leader and successful businessman living in the interior city of Penticton as my second counselor. With President Humprey's profession as a pharmacist and a name like Moroni, coupled with President Smith who owned a health food business and whose name was Alma, I thought, "How could I possibly miss with a combination of spiritual and physical support like that?" To round out a presidency with brethren whose names reflected books of Latter-day scripture, President Smith jokingly suggested that I be called The Pearl of Great Preece. Thinking this to be a bit of a stretch, I declined the consideration. These personable and dedicated brethren proved valiant over and over again during the challenging and momentous years which lay ahead.

I found the first few months of my mission very exciting and it appeared that we had so many things going for us, with one major exception. I felt keenly disappointed with the number of convert baptisms reported by the missionaries. Remembering what I had considered a promise at the time of my call, as recorded in John 4: 35 regarding the "field already for harvest" part I felt was just not happening. Yes, we were bringing in about the same number of converts of previous months throughout the mission; however, I had expected far more baptisms than what we were getting and I became concerned. I decided to take my problem to the Lord in fervent prayer one evening before retiring. During the night I had an experience that I shall never forget. I had a dream so vivid that I knew that I had received a direct answer from the Lord as to why we were not bringing more people into the church and more importantly, what we needed to do about it!

In the dream I saw Daisy the cow being milked by our son Stephen in the little red barn at our little ranch back in Bend, Oregon. With each squeeze of his hands streams of pure white milk poured out, but instead of into a bucket, the milk streamed onto the ground. Daisy seemed very upset with what appeared to her as a waste, prompting me to call for my wife Nancy to hurry and bring some containers. She came running with several buckets loaded in her arms - all shapes and sizes, and this time the milk began to stream into the containers; however, Daisy appeared to be even more upset than before and suddenly refused to give milk. It wasn't until I glanced down into the pails that I realized the problem - all of the containers were filthy dirty! Only after we went to the effort of cleaning out all the buckets did Daisy become content and the milk resumed flowing. Suddenly the dream ended and I woke up in a start, emotionally spent and dripping with perspiration.

I knew without question that the dream had special meaning and I earnestly sought an interpretation from the Lord. As I pondered the various aspects of the experience, I came to realize that the milk meant the pure gospel of Jesus Christ being provided for the spiritual nourishment of non-members with whom our missionaries were meeting. The various containers represented our missionaries who came to us not only in different physical sizes, but also with a variety of spiritual backgrounds and preparations. Central to the dream were the unclean buckets! Our missionaries were not living in a manner that would make it possible for the Lord to lead and bless them, thus denying the promised harvest of souls in our mission. Isaiah's admonition to ancient Israel, "Be ye clean ye that bare the vessels of the Lord", came readily to mind. Also I could relate to the Book of Mormon prophet Nephi who declared, "Behold he hath heard my cry by day and he hath given me knowledge by vision in the night time". (2 Nephi 4: 23-24)

As mission president, I knew it was now my responsibility to prepare the elders and sisters of the mission. The following morning, I called my two assistants, Elders Deaton and Jackson, into my office and related my experience to them. After a lengthy discussion, we decided on a course of action. We would immediately blitz the entire mission, meeting with all of the missionaries of the eight zones in special sessions.

We drew up an agenda which included my relating my dream and what it meant, a special presentation by my two Assistants, followed up with my conducting personal priesthood interviews with each missionary. The spirit in these meetings as we traveled from place to place was electrifying. The missionaries manifested heartfelt sorrow for various acts of confessed transgressions and infractions of mission rules, coupled with firm resolutions to repent and to conduct their lives in keeping with their callings as representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Central to the message we taught the missionaries on these occasions was the proper understanding of the relationship between the power and authority of the priesthood they held. While their call as missionaries provided them with the authority to act in the name of God without the power of the Holy Ghost, that comes only from righteous living, they would be rendered helpless in exercising that priesthood and effectively teaching the gospel to their non-member contacts. The missionaries accepted the challenge to bring about the necessary changes in their personal lives with solemn commitments to live the mission rules with exactness. The effort to clean up our buckets, so to speak, had commenced, launching what would become known as the Great Reformation of the Canada Vancouver Mission.

Before long the whole picture in the mission changed dramatically. The very month following these series of zone meetings, convert baptisms in the mission doubled and in the months to follow they tripled and quadrupled. The harvest promised by the Lord was being fulfilled as the elders and sisters looked and acted the part of determined and dedicated Mountain Top Missionaries. Elder Ted Brewerton, the Regional Representative assigned to our area, attended several of these zone meetings, expressing praise for our efforts. Following Elder Brewerton's report to the Missionary Committee of his visit, I received a complementary letter from Seventy Quorum President, S. Dilworth Young of that committee in which he commented, "Elder Brewerton observes that your mission has a high spiritual tone, the missionaries are loyal to you and they are living the mission rules."

I could cite literally hundreds of instances where non-members' hearts were touched and their lives changed as a result of the renewed efforts of our missionaries operating under the influence of the spirit over the next two and one half years. I'll mention just a few as recorded in my personal journal.

One evening the elders brought a middle-aged man by the name of Al Lawrence to the mission home to meet the mission president. I'll admit that I was not very impressed with his unkempt appearance and general demeanor. I didn't express my true feelings to the missionaries but thought to myself, "Elders you could do better! What we really need in the church is families." The unemployed fellow had recently been divorced leaving a wife and five children. Besides he reeked of alcohol which made his untidy appearance that much more offensive. A few weeks later I met Al at Church, but this time he was shaven and better dressed. My attitude toward him changed as positive things seemed to be happening to Al as the missionaries taught him the gospel and he became involved in various church activities. It thrilled me to attend Al's baptismal service some time later and witness his progress in the church. After several months I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the ward leaders had called Al to the Elder's quorum presidency, and even more so when he later received the call to lead the quorum as its president.

During these months, something very exciting was also happening to Al's former wife and children back in the eastern part of the country where they were living at the time. Unbeknown to Al and to the rest of us she too had been contacted by the Mormon missionaries and after a period of investigating, all members of the family had joined the church. When Al and his former wife heard about the other joining the church they made contact with each other and over a period of time got back together and remarried. With a fresh determination provided by a new perspective which the gospel brought they made their marriage work this time, bringing about the reuniting of their family.

There is a postscript to the story. Several years later, while living in Vancouver, Washington, I received the joyful news that when the Vancouver First Ward was divided, Al was called to serve as the Bishop of the newly formed Vancouver Second Ward. My thoughts hurtled back to the time when I first met Al in the mission home and I thought what a profound difference the gospel, in the hands of dedicated and spiritually prepared missionaries, can make in the lives of people desiring to make a better life for themselves. I might mention that a statement I had recently run across, made by Brigham Young describing the worth of individuals, had a profound effect on my attitude toward all kinds of people that I met while on my mission. Said he, "The least, the most inferior person now upon the earth is worth worlds." (Journal of Discourses Vol. 9 p.124)

Another mission conversion story during this time involved a woman by the name of Ann Oxley and her 17 year old son John who the missionaries had met in Langley, a suburb of Vancouver. Mrs. Oxley later related to me how for years she had earnestly sought to find the true church as she, "put up with the turmoil of the various religions". After prayer one evening, John had a dream in which he saw two young men all dressed up in suits complete with white shirts and ties. About a month later while John worked in the yard, Elders Foster and Hudson, came by and asked if he would be interested in learning about the restoration of the Lord's church upon the earth. John said it happened exactly as it did in the dream. John and his mother received the discussions by the missionaries, culminating in the baptism of these two fine people a short time later.

Two of our lady missionaries, Brenda Saunders and Nancy Kowalis related an experience they had at a bus-stop while returning home one afternoon from a motivational zone meeting at the stake center in Burnaby, a suburb of Vancouver. A lady and her daughter happened to overhear the sister missionaries discuss the spiritually uplifting meeting they had attended as they waited for the bus to come. The sisters talked about various religious topics, including the role of the Holy Ghost in the conversion process. The woman seem intrigued with what she heard and shortly joined in the discussion with her comments and questions.

Sister Sanders explains what then happened. "When the bus arrived, we all boarded, sitting at the front on opposite sides of the aisle. I watched the woman's facial expressions and felt she was greatly disturbed. At the transfer spot we disembarked. We had only gone a short way when the woman came running after us. She asked what had prompted us to talk to her at the bus-stop. We explained that the Spirit is often able to direct us to those who are ready to hear our message. With tears in her eyes she indicated that she had been praying that God would help her with her problems. She felt strongly that our bus-stop conversation had been the answer to her prayers." The woman was baptized into the church a short time later. Sister Sanders concluded the account of the experience by saying, "Seeing this woman find new peace and happiness in the gospel was one of the choice experiences of my mission."

Elder Fawson in a letter to me as he left the mission field gave this account, "One of the most outstanding experiences I had on my mission came on a cold, dark, rain soaked evening. For several days my companion, Elder Woodstock and I had been working on the law of commitment. Each night in our daily planning session we committed with the Lord to teach a certain number of people the following day. (usually four to six.)

Surely this is pure joy! We went on that night filled with the Spirit and met our commitment to teach one more person after we left the Hastings. Many glorious experiences like this have made the past two years the greatest of my life, thus far." (I might mention, parenthetically, that the Elder Woodstock, spoken of in the story, was one of five of my missionaries who chose a profession with the Church Educational System following his mission.)

I caught a glimpse of the feelings new converts to the church felt toward the missionaries who brought them the message of the restored gospel in a weekly letter from Elder Michael Lewis dated January 2, 1975, which reads in part: "This Christmas week I've been getting a few cards from people I have taught in the mission. One in particular touched my heart. It was from the Westgate's, a young couple who joined the Church in Prince George last August. The note inside read, 'With sincere gratitude for the choice you made to go out into the world with the precious message of the gospel and to our Heavenly Father for having created you."

Not to be outdone by my "valiant band of Mountain Top missionaries", I too had opportunities of teaching the gospel to individuals seeking the truth. As an example, one the Sunday evening in January 1975, after returning home from church services, I answered a knock at the front door to the mission home. I invited in this nicely dressed middle aged gentleman who introduced himself as Alex McCrae.

Alex mentioned that he had read about the church in a missionary tract he had acquired with the address of the mission home. He announced that he had come to learn more about what the Mormons believed. I invited Alex into my office where I explained the fundamentals of the gospel to him. He also expressed an interest in the picture hanging on my office wall of President Kimball who I testified of being a latter-day prophet. Alex also asked about the painting hanging near the fireplace by the famous artist, Harry Anderson, of Christ and the original Twelve Apostles. I explained that in the church today we also have a quorum of twelve apostles. He was intrigued by what he saw and heard and after a few weeks of taking the discussions and a trip to Utah to attend General Conference, Alex joined the church. From then on he became known as, "the president's mission home convert".

The "great reformation" as it became known throughout the mission not only had a profound effect on the missionary proselyting efforts but also spread to the general membership and leaders in the eight member districts of the mission, causing remarkable things to happen. Many brothers and sisters joined the crusade of rendering themselves more fit for the companionship of the spirit through confessions, subsequent repentance and more righteous conduct of their personal lives. I will relate a few examples of members bringing their lives into order and the resultant effect for good that the repentance process, associated with the reformation, brought about.

Some time before I arrived in the mission field in the fall of 1974, three members of the church, all holding leadership positions in the Okanagan Valley had gone into the outdoor theater business together in the city of Osoyoos. Unfortunately the venture failed leaving unpaid debts amounting to over $16,000.00 owed to nearly three dozen business establishments located in the cities of Osoyoos and Pentiction. Credit had been extended to the builders in order to purchase the materials and equipment necessary to build and run the theater. Upon arriving in the mission in the fall of 1974 and becoming aware of the bad feelings that existed toward the church in the area caused by the reluctance of these few brethren to clear up their debts, I wondered what responsibilities I had. A Book of Mormon scripture found in Alma 11:2 regarding the penalty imposed for nonpayment of debts helped me feel justification to bring my office and calling as mission president to bear in the matter, when some people questioned whether or not I should get involved in the situation.

To make a long story short, my counselors Keith Humphreys and Al Smith and I held hearings with the fellows involved, insisting that they take responsibility for making good on the debts, which they finally agreed to do. President Smith, who lived in Pentiction, personally contacted each businessman involved and found them all willing to accept repayment of 50 cents on the dollar. President Smith reported later that one of the businessmen confessed to him that at the time he was approached to settle the debt he had jokingly told his wife the if he ever saw this man Smith again with any money that he would join the Mormon church. President Smith didn't hold him to the promise but did present the gentleman with a Book of Mormon and his testimony of its truthfulness.

After the whole matter was resolved weeks later we received thank-you letters from most of these non-member businessmen applauding our efforts as church leaders to step in and make things right. Incidentally, one these member brethren also had a long outstanding debt of $7,000.00 owed to Arthur McCuddy, the brother I had baptized as a missionary in the area several years previously. Through our insistence the brother also repaid the debt to Brother McCuddy even though it meant mortgaging his ranch in order to come up with the money he owed. With relationships now on the mend in the communities effected, we noticed a resurgence of missionary success in the area.

About this same time, we encountered another business venture that caused serious problems all over the mission requiring our attention. It began with the invention and distribution of a wood stove by a member of the church from Prince George, in the Caribou District. This inventor/entrepreneur, had engaged in some shady business practices as he attempted to produce and market his product throughout the Province of B. C.; he admitted to his mistakes, in due time made good on promises (with some encouragement) thereby restored peace and good will in the area among the many members and non-members of the church who had become involved with the enterprise.

The Okanagan District President, Ron Burnham reported to me in July of 1975 that the so-called reformation movement was having a positive effect on the members in the Okanagan District. To illustrate, he mentioned that his Elder's Quorum President, Eugene Tymkiw, found that 60% of his quorum members had been in to see the branch president in Vernon with transgressions to resolve. I was also surprised to discover that when the Okanagan District became Vernon Stake in October of that same year, that my counselors and I had held 39 church courts in this one district alone over an eight month period. We felt that the cleansing effect of the reformation helped prepare the members for stakehood. We also felt pleased that the other seven districts of the mission were experiencing similar benefits as well from the mission-wide reformation.

Perhaps the highlights of my three years as mission president centered around the creation of the Victoria and Vernon Stakes both occurring within a nine month period in 1975. In March of that year Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles visited the mission to create the Victoria Stake on Vancouver Island. In order to accommodate the several hundred people wishing to attend, we held the service in the spacious Capitol Theater. Howard L. Biddulph, a professor of political science, with a specialty in the Soviet Union, at the University of Victoria, who had served as district president for the Island two years previously, became the stake's first president. Incidentally at the breakup of the Soviet Union years later in the 1990's allowing freedom of religion in the former Communist Bloc, the church called Howard Biddulph to serve as the first mission president in the Ukraine. He later chronicled the spread of the church in the former Soviet Union during his tenure in a book entitled, The Morning Breaks. Howard later taught at the University of Beijing, China and served in the first LDS District Presidency formed there in November of 1997 to serve U.S. nationals and members of the church living in mainland China .

One of the members of the newly organized stake presidency, Robert McCue, noted in his talk that Brigham Young in 1845 had given consideration to locating exiled saints of Illinois on Vancouver Island. The Prophet had written "There are said to be many good locations for settlement on the Pacific, especially Vancouver Island near the mouth of the Columbia." Not withstanding this item of interest, members of the church felt overjoyed to have a stake of the church organized 135 years later on their beloved island.

Just nine months later on October 12, 1975, Elder LeGrand Richards, a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles organized the Okanagan District into the Vernon Stake, calling Ron Burnham as its first president. I mentioned early in my history that Ron was just a twelve year-old deacon in the Aaronic Priesthood in Vernon when I served a mission in the Okanagan Valley some twenty years previously. I had hoped that before I left the mission we could organize a stake in the Okanagan; however mainly due to the positive effects of the reformation, I believe, stakehood came much earlier than expected.

In a talk given at the time of the organization of the Vernon Stake on October 12, 1975, President Burnham said of me that, "he had never met any one with more courage". This was in reference to my handling the aforementioned dishonest business ventures in the mission. While grateful for the compliment, I nevertheless was a little embarrassed by being singled out. Many individuals contributed toward creating the spiritual climate which produced the fruits of the reformation. Just the same, the creation of these two stakes during my tenure as mission president was for me a source of great personal joy. I might also mention that at the Saturday evening, October 11th leadership meeting in the chapel the day before the Vernon Stake organization, the local Saints served a cake and refreshments and sang a song to Nancy and me, noting our 20th wedding anniversary.

Following the organization of the Vernon Stake, Elder Richards arranged to also tour the mission, with a two-fold purpose in mind. The first was to visit and speak with all of the missionaries in the eight zones scattered throughout the far flung mission during the daytime and secondly, to speak at specially-prepared evening firesides to which members and missionaries could bring their non-member friends. The firesides proved a huge success as hundreds of members and non-members packed in chapels and halls throughout the province, spellbound by the rapid fire oratory of this legendary latter-day missionary. Nancy and I felt it a privilege to briefly share time at the pulpit with him on these occasions.

Known throughout the church mainly for his missionary zeal, Elder LeGrand Richards authored several books dealing with bringing the restored gospel to the attention of non-members of the church; the best known of which is the popular, "The Marvelous Work and a Wonder". This volume, printed in several languages and numbering in the millions sold, has brought countless thousands to the knowledge of the restored truth. Someone said of Elder Richards, "He, like his book, is a marvelous work and a wonder!." Besides being a great missionary, Elder Richards was known for his wit and wisdom, despite his advanced age, which at the time of his involvement in our mission, was in the early nineties.

I'll share a couple of stories to illustrate this. At the time of the organization of the Vernon Stake just before I stood to conduct the meeting, he sitting next to me and noting my apparent nervousness caused by the heavy responsibility, laid his hand on my knee and recited the following which relieved the tension: "For every worry under the sun, there is a remedy or there is none. If there be one hurry and find it. If there is none, never mind it." Wherever we would go, out of respect for this wonderful old gentleman, the congregation would rise to its feet. With a huge grin on his face, he would ask them to be seated with, " You don't need to fuss over me. I'm just a grown up deacon." Toward the end of his life, one of his legs had to be removed due to poor circulation and later the other. With characteristic humor, he quipped, "I would rather die from the feet up rather than from the head down."

The missionaries deeply appreciated the unique privilege of spending time with this wonderful Apostle on a personal basis in the zone meetings during the aforementioned tour of the mission. Something special occurred at one of these meetings in the little northern town of Terrace, B.C. which I'll long remember and which I feel reflects the noble character of Elder Richards. The saints in the city of Prince George, 400 miles to the East of Terrace, which was to be our next stop, had prepared a big Thanksgiving (Canadian) feast and activities in Elder Richards' honor that evening. However, due to poor weather conditions, the plane didn't fly, leaving us stuck in Terrace for the day. Disappointed, but undaunted, Elder Richards suggested that we celebrate Thanksgiving in the elder's apartment and eat what we could scrape together from their refrigerator. So instead of turkey with all the trimmings, we had baloney sandwiches to eat and Kool-Aid to drink. A warm and joyful spirit prevailed as we engaged Elder Richard's in lively conversation and story telling during most of the afternoon.

After two or three hours, Elder Richards requested time for a brief nap and kindly asked the elders if he might use one of their beds. (Later the elder said that he didn't sleep in the bed for several nights because he had been so honored to have an Apostle sleep in his bed.) With weather conditions improving later that evening, we departed on the plane bound for Prince George. The week we spent traveling with Elder Richards over the length and breadth of our beloved British Columbia provided spiritually rich and rewarding experiences to all involved.

Every year we had the opportunity to meet with Elder LeGrand Richards and Elder Franklin D. Richards, of the Seventy, who served as our supervisor, and the other mission presidents and wives from throughout the Northwest-Alaska, Seattle and Portland missions-in special seminars. We usually met in Seattle for these two days of instructions and encouragement from our leaders. As part of these instructional periods the mission presidents usually gave assigned presentations. I was honored when after my giving a presentation on teaching, Elder Franklin D. described it as, "the best he had ever heard on the subject." This reminds me of a similar compliment he paid Nancy as he and his wife traveled with Nancy and me on a previous tour of the eight zones of our mission one summer.

Nancy chose to speak to the elders and sisters on the timely topic of missionary etiquette and manners. Elder Richards told her it was the best handing of that particular topic he had ever heard a mission president's wife give. Incidentally she had included the little verse "Mabel, Mabel strong and able, don't put your elbows on the table." in her presentation. Later as we returned to the mission home and sat around the big dining room table eating lunch and conversing, who should be seen with her elbows on the table? Sister Richards! The mission staff also seated around the table couldn't wait to, in a spirit of fun, bring the incident to our attention later on.

Another experience involving Elder and Sister Franklin D. Richards that wasn't humorous, at least at the time. The Richards, Nancy and I waited one morning for our flight to leave the Kelowna airport bound for Cranbrook, where we would meet with the missionaries in the Kootenay District in the afternoon followed by a meeting with the saints and their non-member friends in a district fireside that evening.

When Elder Richards saw that we would make the flight in a small 9 passenger plane he wanted me to make sure that the plane had a co-pilot aboard since that very week the president of the church had informed the brethren that the policy for air travel now required a co-pilot aboard on all flights, as a safety measure. After checking with the agent at the counter, I assured Elder Richards that a co-pilot would indeed be on the flight. When it came time to board, Elder and Sister Richard happened to go a little ahead of Nancy and me. As we approached the aircraft we were surprised to see both of them practically running back toward us on the tarmac. When I asked if there was something the matter, he replied, "We can't take that plane, there is no co-pilot on board." When I asked him if he was really sure, since I had been assured that there would be one, he replied, "I know because the pilot asked me if I wanted to ride in the co-pilot's seat!"

My heart sank as I pictured the big gathering of people in Cranbrook disappointed that no general authority would be there to speak to them. I scrambled to the flight desk to report the situation. They apologized for the oversight and assured me that they would absolutely provide a co-pilot for the flight and for us to go ahead and board the plane. Elder Richards was adamant, he wouldn't go. When I prevailed upon him to reconsider, he replied, "They didn't keep their word the last time, I won't trust them again." He further commented that he didn't want to be known forever as Richard the Disobedient for not following the counsel of the president of the church if the plane ran into difficulty. While I could see his point, I could also keenly sense the disappointment of the people in the Kooteny District if we didn't come.

Not knowing what else to do I decided to make it a matter of prayer. I stepped behind the building and humbly bowing my head expressed my concern to Father in Heaven, concluding with "Father, he is after all thy servant and if we are to fly thou wilt need to soften his heart." Upon joining the others, I was very relieved when Elder Richards, with a smile on his face commented, "I feel impressed that everything will be alright. Let's board the plane." I whispered a little prayer of thanks as we departed on a trouble free flight to Cranbrook, followed by wonderful and inspirational meetings with the people of the Kooteny District.

I also recall other valuable counsel Elder Franklin Richards gave to me a few months after I had arrived in the mission field. I had come into the mission that October of 1974 with a strong determination to give it my all during these three years. This commitment led to my foregoing the regular weekly preparation day. Rather than engaging in some recreation, including doing things with the family, I would work right through the week instead. Along about April of 1975, this practice came to light in an interview with Elder Richards which, rather than to please him as I mistakenly thought it might, prompted a sharp reprimand. He used this statement from King Benjamin's address in the Book of Mormon to counsel me, "it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength...therefore all things must be done in order." (Alma 4: 27) I discovered the valuable lesson of taking time off to "sharpen the saw" as it were each week, resulting in my labors becoming more productive.

Frequently I would make and receive calls and/or letters from the brethren in Salt Lake relative to missionary work and administrative matters. I found them to be thoughtful and kind, desiring to be of service in moving the work forward. I remember President Gordon B. Hinckley, then an apostle, calling from Spokane, Washington, where he had been the stake conference visiting authority, to tell me that he was willing to attend our mission youth conference one summer. When I realized the hundreds of miles he would need to drive out of his way, and the physical and emotional drain this would put him through, I excused him from the assignment, but thanked him anyway. I have often thought about the high level of devotion President Hinckley manifested on this occasion by his willingness to come and the example of dedication this experience taught me.

I also remember another occasion, about halfway through my mission when the Missionary Committee decided to divest itself of all the large mansion type mission homes throughout the church, such as ours, and in their place purchase smaller homes for the mission president and family to live in and to rent space in a regular office building for administering the missions. One of the reasons given for selling these mansions was out of fear that the mission president might be kidnapped and held for ransom. My concern was that our children would need to attend yet another school since we had moved just before returning back to Canada. Therefore, I made an appeal to the Missionary Committee to postpone selling the mission home until after our departure about a year hence. Elder David B. Haight, a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles, personally called later to tell me that they would honor my request to not sell until we left. The fact that Nancy's parents and the Haights were close friend when they both lived in Chicago, may have influenced his decision to postpone selling the home. Regardless, we were glad it turned out that way. I deeply appreciated the sensitivity shown by the brethren on this occasion, and at other times in behalf of the mission.

Frequently other church authorities from Salt Lake visiting the area for one purpose or another would come to the mission home for a visit. For instance Belle Spafford, past General President of the Relief Society, the current president Barbara Smith, and the past and current presidents of the General Young Women organization, Florence Jacobson and Ruth Funk traveled to Vancouver in May of1975 in connection with a convention of the International Conference on Women, of which they were members. After serving them refreshments and chatting awhile in the living room, Nancy and I took them on a tour of the mission home, ending up in the basement where I introduced them to our popular game of box hockey-a lively activity decidedly different from that they engaged in at the women's conference, I'm sure. Shortly after returning to home, they wrote letters of appreciation for the hospitality we had extended to them.

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While demanding responsibilities in the mission field occupied much of my time and energy, I nevertheless tried to keep things in balance by devoting as much time as I could to my family. Although we had several interesting and fun times together, If asked today which of them stood out they would probably mention the Neil Diamond concert and the helicopter ride which I'll briefly highlight before detailing other events.

When we got wind that Neil Diamond would put on a concert at the PNE, we purchased tickets to go hear this exciting and popular musician perform in April,1976. Our son Stephen had introduced our family to Neil's jazzy music when we lived in Bend and we quickly became some of his most ardent fans. We greatly enjoyed the evening's lively performance, especially the music he wrote and sang in the movie we had previously seen and book we had read entitled, "Jonathan Livingston Seagull".

At an earlier date, we took our family to visit Whistler Mountain, a famous ski resort located in the mountain range east of Vancouver on a preparation day, or at least we headed that way when the car broke down. Noticing a helicopter landing near the garage in the small mountain village of Squamish where the automobile was being repaired, I forget which of our children suggested that we ask the pilot to take us for a flight. For the nominal fee of $25.00 the copter pilot took us on a breathtaking half hour flight over some of the most beautiful and majestic mountain peaks imaginable and soared down what the poet Robert W. Service might have called, "the vast corridors of the northern sky". The pilot even set the plane down momentarily on a glacier peak, which had us wondering if we might, at any second, suddenly slide off into an icy oblivion, never to be heard of again. Fortunately we had our camera along to record the wonderful events of the day; Our pictures now occupy a treasured spot in our family picture album.

While faithfully writing in my journal during the years of my mission, I made a point of including some activities and experiences that I especially wanted to remember which involved our children in a personal way and which also reveals characteristics of their personalities. I have gleaned information from several entry excerpts wherein family matters are mentioned, mostly in chronological order, to become part of my personal history. Occasionally I'll make an editorial "note" following these entries:

Friday, December 6, 1974: "Tonight we attended the road shows at the stake center. Our 14-year-old Cathy had a part in First Ward's play. Her friend Steven Farrance, a crippled boy in a wheelchair with a lot of talent and guts, wrote the script for the winning play from the New Westminster Ward. We were shocked and saddened to learn that he died the next morning after the road shows, which had been given in his honor." Note: Cathy had developed a friendship with Steve over the years and on a special occasion accompanied him on a dinner dance date.

Thursday, December15, 1975: "Stephen was called to serve as the priesthood pianist in addition to being called as 1st counselor in the deacon's quorum."

Tuesday, December 19, 1975: "These are good days in the mission home-ones that we will look back on with warm feelings, I'm sure". Note: I made this comment in connection with the festivities in the mission home as we entered the holiday season for this first time. Searching for the perfect tree, decorating the home inside and out, purchasing gifts, listening to music, attending parties, eating traditional holiday food, romping in the snow, entertaining friends, etc. all became part of the bright and cherry Christmas scene. It was particularly good to have David with us since he had been away for three months in Bend.

Saturday January 4, 1975: "Steve and Cathy start their Headway ski lessons today on Grouse Mountain." Note: This is the same program that David had done so well with while we lived on the North Shore last year.

Friday, January 17, 1975: "Tonight Nancy and I went with Cathy over to the stake Patriarch Bern Dawe's for her patriarchal blessing. She is just 14 but mature in many ways as indicated by her fasting in preparation for the blessing, all on her own. The blessing was very special bringing tears to all of our eyes, including Brother Dawe." Note: I thought it was interesting that at the conclusion of the blessing he dropped his arms to his side and bowing his head exclaimed, "That was really some blessing wasn't it Cathy?" By doing so he recognized that the source of inspiration was not him, but the Lord.

February 9. 1975 "Great day of organization of the Victoria Stake on Vancouver Island with Apostle Elder Packer in attendance. The children came over with the missionaries and Sister Harnett." Note: I was happy that our children could be part of this historic event which I hoped they would remember and appreciate the significance of in later life, perhaps more than now.

Note: Shortly after this call, Cathy Peterson, who as a teen-age girl I had baptized when I was a missionary laboring in the city of Kelowna some 20 years earlier, got in touch with me at the mission home regarding Karen's future. Cathy, having graduated from the University of Alberta in Calgary with a degree in sociology had become a social worker for the church. She soon arranged for Karen to come back and live with us in the mission home during the last two years of our mission. At first Karen found the adjustment difficult, having been away for a few years; however, she quickly came out of her shell and progressed wonderfully. Among other accomplishments, she filled a two week youth mini-mission for the stake, serving with Sister Curtis one of our outstanding full time lady missionaries. We got a kick out of a prank she pulled on Nancy one evening after she had been out proselyting. She called to say, "This is Sister Hoof speaking. Would you please come and pick me up?" Nancy hurried down stairs to go get her only to find that Karen jokingly had placed the call from downstairs in the mission home.

As the first of our children to get a driver's license, Karen assumed responsibility for driving our other children to Seminary each morning, which helped to build her confidence. She also participated in sports, placing first in swimming the back stroke at a stake sport meet, and playing on the girl's high school basketball team. Karen faithfully continued to practice playing the piano. Over the years, she worked hard at whatever she put her mind to and as a result developed into a lovely young lady. In a humorous vein, during the Christmas holidays one year, Cathy horrified us by dying Karen's hair blond. However, Cathy had done a pretty good job and surprisingly made Karen look quite attractive through it all.

Tuesday, March 25, 1975: "I got a call from Wade Brown in Bend to tell me that Daisy our milk cow has given birth to a calf, a bull with red hair that they had named Alfalfa. Had to laugh when Cathy asked if the calf had been born under the covenant?" Note: A few months after the calf was born Wade suggested that we sell Daisy because she was just too much for him to handle. Remembering the profound effect Daisy had had on the course of the mission through the dream experience, but considering the present circumstances, we reluctantly authorized him to find a buyer. The Browns kept Alfalfa to raise.

Thursday, March, 28, 1975: "Today we averted what could have been a major catastrophy in the mission home. Stewart age 8 and a friend built a small wood fire in a room of the mansion's basement. Fortunately it was discovered and put out before the flames could engulf the paint cans, and other flammable material stored nearby. Note: While this incident could not be dismissed as just one where boys will be boys, I felt that they, despite the seriousness of the situation, didn't intend to do harm and were truly sorry for what happened. My scolding conveyed a message to them strong enough that I felt certain it would not happen again.

Monday, April 7, 1975: "Tonight in Family Home Evening we listened to Cathy tell of her 'fantastic' trip to Salt Lake General Conference as she read the account from her diary." Note: We were reminded of spotting her on television as we watched the general conference sessions in the mission home, noticing that the camera had picked her up while panning the congregation in the tabernacle. This entry also reminded me of the other occasions our children had gone on visits outside the mission. Such was the time Karen, Cathy and Steve traveled to California with the church youth to do baptismal work for the dead in the Oakland Temple. Also during the summer of 1975 Steve and Stew traveled by bus to spend 10 days visiting in Bend, Oregon, where we had lived. At another time Steve accompanied his friend Jimmy McBarron on a camping trip near Yakima, Washington, for several days.

"This morning Stew looked in the mirror at his short haircut as he got ready for school. 'Oh well, at least I still have my broad smile left', he ruefully said." Note: Not long after this experience we allowed our boys to grow their hair longer in keeping with the custom in Canada of longer hair.

Thursday, May 1, 1975: "Went to see Steve and Stew in their school musical spring performance. Steve played the 'Sting' on the piano with the high school stage band, and Stew was a Dutchman." Note: As often as possible, Nancy and I attended functions at the schools where our kids attended.

Wednesday, June 29, 1975: "Went to the ward primary closing program tonight. Stew, our 9 year old played a part dressed up as the prophet Nephi in a puppet show. He did very well." Note: We were surprised and delighted as he went on and on mostly adlibbing the part.

Wednesday, November 12, 1975: "Earl Papenfus, the member big game guide who I had hunted with on several occasions in British Columbia called on me on his way from Canim Lake to California where he will spend the winter with his wife, now that moose hunting season is over for the year. " Note: Over the three year mission period I also had visits in the mission home from other former hunting companions, including Wayne Olsen, Bob Wagner, Duncan Tidmarsh, Norm Duce, Walter Johnson, and Sheldon Baker. Even though my 300 Weatherby Magnum (nicknamed "Tigertail"), gathered dust in a gun cabinet in Bend, Oregon, I nevertheless enjoyed reminiscing old times with these fellows on occasion.

Friday, Dec. 5, 1975: "We went with Steve to get his patriarchal blessing from Brother Dawe tonight. He advised Steve to choose good friends and that he and his wife and family would be happy and have a good relationship." Note: This part of the blessing has certainly found fulfillment as we observe his relationship with Martina, Jasper and Erika over the years.

Saturday, January 24, 1976 : "We took the family to Harrison Hot Springs on preparation day. We ate lunch at the hotel on the lake and bathed in the famous hot springs. It was a cold winter day but we had fun. The kids are good company. In the evening, we went to hear the Know Your Religion speaker, Dr. Truman Madsen, at the stake center, taking with us a couple who are investigating the church and who we had earlier invited to dinner. I proceeded Nance and the couple into the chapel where I met and introduced myself to Dr. Madsen. He said, 'Oh yes, I just met your daughter in the foyer a minute ago'. It dawned on me later that he had meant Nancy and not Cathy. Gosh, what is this mission doing to me? ha!"

Wednesday, Feb. 25, 1976: "Nancy still not well so we missed the symphony. We found out she is pregnant. We'll keep it a secret as long as possible." Note: It came as a surprise for us to find out that she would have a baby since she was nearing her 39th birthday and also a concern physically since it was 10 years since Stewart's birth. However, we were delighted with the news and willing to make the necessary adjustments in our lives as missionaries.

Sunday, April 18, 1976: Steve and my assistant Elder Cummings went out tracting this afternoon and taught three discussions. He'll make a fine missionary someday when he has grown a foot or two." Note: "Grown a foot or two" is a phrase that comes from the missionary song that Steve had sung at a Vancouver, B.C. Stake priesthood preview program as an eleven-year-old. Years later at Steve's missionary farewell as a 19 year-old living in Vancouver, Washington, I mentioned this incident in my remarks.

Thursday, April 22, 1976: "Nancy, Stew and I attended the high school bands competition tonight. Point Grey won first place. We are mighty proud of Steve, our 14 year-older, who bangs away as their piano player. It is the first time Point Grey High School has ever won." Note: The band was also to play at a concert scheduled at the Kerrisdale arena for the evening of April 27; However that morning Steve said they would have to dropout because their drummer had come down sick with the flu. Sensing his disappointment I suggested that one of my mission staff members, Elder Steven Rolandelli fill in, knowing that he had played the drums in a high school band prior to his mission. With everyone in agreement Elder Rolendelli participated. My journal entry for the day in part reads", "We were very proud of both our Steves. They did very well."

Friday, June 18, 1976: "We traveled to the stake center this evening to see the play called, 'The Order of Love' , which was based on the Law of Consecration as practiced by the church in the town of Orderville, Utah, in the early history of Utah. Cathy was Francis Isadore, one of the lead characters." Note: Some who attended expressed their opinion that the production was near professionally done, playing four nights in the stake. Cathy did a fine job acting her part, nearly stealing the show, in my biased estimation.

Wednesday, July 7, 1976: "Cathy told us that she had made a dress for a lady she had sold a blouse to at Laura Ashleys where she works part time. Brave girl!" Note: Our sixteen year-old daughter had found a job clerking at a trendy woman's apparel store called Laura Ashley in downtown Vancouver. Cathy has always shown a lot of creativity over the years with her sewing, whether it was making a quilt, altering a suit for her brother, or in so many other projects she took on.

Thursday, July 22, 1976: "While eating lunch, we were surprised to receive a bouquet of flowers delivered to our door. The card read, "With deepest sympathy dear Cathy. Sorry about your father's passing. The card was signed by a group of friends at school." Note: At first we thought someone was playing a prank on us, but found out later it was a case of mistaken identity. Evidently another girl by the same name had lost her father. Nevertheless, Cathy decided to take advantage of the opportunity by baking a raisin pie from her recipe book called 'funeral pie by the Pennsylvania Dutch", a desert traditionally served to mourners. The missionaries in the home added a humorous touch to the occasion by dressing up as mourners, providing a make believe casket and march music to match. A little goulash but all in good fun.

Tuesday, July 27, 1976: "Took family to Alice Lake in Squamish for preparation day. Picked up Michael Suiker on the way. We had a fantastic day swimming, sunning and fishing. We cooked dinner wrapped in cabbage and aluminum foil, an idea Steve brought back with him from his camping trip to Wapato, Washington, with his friend Jimmy McBarron."

Monday, August 9, 1976: "We engaged in a variety of activities for FHE involving the Rust family. We did some fun things with music featuring Cathy on the violin, Beverly on the flute and Steve on the piano with Pat and Dil singing. We viewed the film 'Taking Care' produced by the church depicting Mormon involvement in Canadian history in conjunction with the Canadian bi-centennial celebration this year. Dil and I contributed stories for our parts on the program. I recounted our family experience with robbers while camped in our tent trailer outside New York City and the unusual story of how our friends the Krikavas met and married." Note: The Rusts, Dilworth, Pat, Nancy's sister and their children Beverly, Pam and David, traveling from North Carolina with their tent trailer and bikes, spent nearly a week with us. We had fun showing them the sites of the city, including the Japanese Gardens, Queen Elizabeth Park, Lynn Valley swinging bridge, the University of B.C., and Stanley Park and its beaches, ending up in Gas Town where we ate dinner at the Spaghetti Factory.

Friday, September 24, 1976: "Stew said he was approached by a lady while he and some friends ate at McDonalds. She wanted to have him consider becoming a clothing model for department stores." Note: We briefly considered the possibility of sending him to modeling school but with the cost involved and that our stay in Canada was temporary we decided against pursuing the idea. We also thought about the long term influence following such a course would have on an eight year old, and his parents.

Saturday, October 16, 1976: "After taking President Smith to the Airport I thought I would drop in at the hospital to see how Nancy was getting along. As I walked in the nurse surprised me with the announcement that Nancy had just given birth to a baby girl weighing 9 pounds and 6 ounces. She has blond hair and bright blue eyes. Another Cathy. Mother and daughter doing well, for which we can be really glad." Note: I had visited the hospital earlier that morning determined to witness the birth of the baby; however when the hospital staff assured me that delivery was not imminent, I took President Smith to the airport, with the understanding that they would call me at the mission home in time for me to travel the short distance to the Grace hospital and be there at the time of birth. As I proceeded to don the mask, gown, and booties to enter the delivery room, I noticed another fellow also getting dressed and asked him if he too was a new father. He replied, "No, I'm Dr. Pendleton, here to deliver your baby." As it turned out the nurses had already beat him to it. I questioned whether or not I should pay him his full fee. ha! In the evening I presented Nancy with a bouquet of yellow roses.

On October 15, 1976, I had written an article to the missionaries in the "Mountain Top", our mission newsletter, entitled Thanksliving. An excerpt reads, "I find my life blessed in so many ways. It was on Canadian Thanksgiving, 1974, that we arrived in the mission field. This mission experience, I find can best be described by borrowing the words the Prophet Joseph Smith used to describe his life, 'I am overwhelmed by the reality of my experience.' October 11 marks a wedding anniversary for Sister Preece and me-nineteen years of cherished experiences together, for which I am eternally grateful. Now the anticipated safe arrival of our baby brings much joy to the hearts of all of our family members. We appreciate the interest and concern, coupled with prayers, shown by you thoughtful elders and sisters in behalf of Sister Preece these past months." The following morning. October 16, 1976, our "Sunny Sara", who the missionaries dubbed our mission home transfer was born into the world. We felt the name we had chosen for her was particularly appropriate since her two grandmothers bore the same name, along with a lovely young recent convert that we admired by the name of Sara Pawson.

Wednesday, November 3, 1976 "Stew called me on the phone with his voice disguised saying, 'This is President Carter. Would you like to buy some peanuts?" Note: On November 1, Jimmy Carter, Georgia peanut farmer, had beaten Gerald Ford for the presidency. Stew knew I had supported Ford. Had to hand it to our young son for keeping his humor relevant.

November 6, 1976: We went on over to Point Grey High School for a band concert tonight. Steve played a couple of solos on the piano with the stage band. After the performance his music teacher, Mr. Hudson said to me, "How does it feel to have a genius on your hands?" Note: Even though Steve had a natural musical gift, it was his persistent hard work practicing that turned the gift into a talent. For instance at age fourteen his rendition on the piano of the theme from the movie "Sting" kept toes tapping during the many times he was asked to perform it, despite the fact that weeks of prior practice of the piece nearly drove the family buggy. Later we purchased a saxophone for Steve which he had a great time learning to play.

Saturday, December 25, 1976: "The magic day started in the master bedroom with the opening of gifts around our bi-centennial Christmas tree which, under the direction of Nancy's mother, we had decked out in red white and blue ribbons in commemoration of our nation's 200th birth year. Stew got a bike, Nancy-accessories for her dress, Dave a coat, Cathy and Karen hair curling sticks, money and clothing items for Steve and I received a down/fibre all season sleeping bag. After opening our gifts in our bedroom the family joined the mission home staff around the Christmas tree in the foyer of the home to open exchanged gifts. Turkey Dinner with all the trimmings at 3:00 p.m. with only the family present since the missionaries and staff went to visit contacts and friends. Kind of nice to be by ourselves as a family after years of eating meals with so many people here in the home. In the evening we drove to pick up Karen's cousin Anna who will stay with us for a week." Note: Nancy's father, Kenneth, in rather poor health, had been with us in the home all of the month of December with her mother Florence arriving a few days before Christmas. Dave came on the 19th of the month from Bend. We had elaborately decorated the mission home inside and out as usual. On Christmas eve we had gathered in the living room where we had a Family Home Evening of storytelling and singing carols, and eating goodies around a roaring fire in the fireplace. We also enjoyed viewing the light decorated Christmas ships on the inlet near the Lion's Gate bridge during the holidays. Another memorable holiday season spent in the mission field.

Monday, December 27, 1976: "Cathy came home from work at Laura Ashley's excitedly recounting an experience she had with a fellow who held up the store brandishing a knife." Note: She told of this frightening experience occurring in the late afternoon. A man suddenly pulled a knife on a customer Cathy was waiting on, threatening to kill her if Cathy didn't give him all the cash from the till. As the robber fled with about $250, he threatened that if anyone made a move then a man positioned across the street with a rifle trained on Cathy's head would kill her. When the police arrived a short time later Cathy said she was able to give them a good description of the thief; however, we never did hear whether or not he had been apprehended. I recall jokingly asking Cathy if she had remembered to ask the fellow the golden questions but I'm not sure she caught the humor of the remark.

Monday, May 30, 1977: "This evening the children interviewed their seventy -nine-year old grandmother Lella McCoy Preece McNaughton, who is here visiting with us from Vernal, Utah. She told of her being the 13th child of a family of 14 children and of the conversion of the family to the gospel in Alabama. Her mother was baptized while carrying her. She also told of meeting dad while he was a missionary serving in Alabama and how she rode the stagecoach to Vernal from Colorado to marry Dad. Mother also told of my being delivered by a Dr. Gordon Christy in the home at 567 North Vernal Ave. where she still lives. Mother quoted several poems she had memorized as a youth, and we finished up the evening by the children playing the piano and all of us singing O' Canada and the Stars Spangled Banner and America the Beautiful. It was a fun FHE and the kids loved it. "Mother looks and acts surprisingly young for someone nearly eighty years old." Note: During Mother's visit I recorded her reciting the lengthy poem entitled Old Settlers Story, giving my counselors and clerks copies. She loved being in a mission field setting which rekindled feeling when she was young, I believe.

Monday, June 6, 1977: "Went with Steve and the Elders to play tennis. Beautiful sunny and warm day." Note: Mother had earlier given me birthday money to purchase a nice Head tennis racket. I played with Steve and the missionary staff every morning that I was in town, mainly for the exercise but also for fun.

Monday, June 20, 1977: "Took Cath over to Gina Pollings where she will stay temporarily when we leave the mission. Karen leaves on Wednesday to stay with the McLeans." Note: In order for Karen, a senior in high school, to be eligible for a government money grant to attend college she needed to remain in Canada. We arranged for her to stay with Bishop McLean's family until she entered BYU in the fall.

Saturday, June 25, 1977: Took an excited Steve and Stew for a ride in the Jeep." Note: The day before Nancy and I traveled to Seattle where we bought a brand new blue and white 4-wheel drive Jeep Cherokee for $8,000 which we would take to our new home in Washington.

Sunday, June 26, 1977: " Steve played the piano for the last time in church today, his own arrangement of Oh How Lovely Was the Morning. Bid goodbye to a lot of people today."

Note: That Thursday afternoon June 30, 1977, we, Nancy, Steve, Stew, Sara and I, loaded up the jeep with our personal belongings and made our way to Vancouver, Washington, where we would accept an offer to stay in the Rod Smith home until we found a place of our own. David, who had found a job up north working in a sawmill for the summer and Cathy who would continue working at Laura Ashley's and living with the Pollings would join us later. Having concluded this special segment of "Family Life in the Mission field Remembered", I will now pick up writing the remaining regular part of my personal history as mission president.

I had just completed holding the first quarterly district conference meetings in the Okanagan early in January of 1976. As I sat in the Kelowna airport waiting for my flight back to Vancouver Sunday evening, I happened to find myself standing near the ticket counter by Bill Bennett, the newly elected premier of B. C. and resident of Kelowna where he had spent the weekend. When I introduced myself as a representative of the Mormon Church, he showed interest in our LDS beliefs and practices especially regarding families. Among other things I chatted with him about was the idea that many areas in the U.S. had designated special family months during the year, incorporating a variety of activities and functions to promote and strengthen the family unit. When I proposed the possibility of adopting a family unity month in B. C., he seemed very interested and asked that I send him some materials on the subject that he could use to discuss this possibility with his cabinet members and others.

A short time after he received the packet of materials I sent, I received a letter from a government representative indicating that Mr. Bennett had not only approved the idea of setting up what they termed The Conference on the Family, of which a family unity month would be part, but also asked me to chair the whole affair. When my supervisor, Franklin Richards, counseled that I probably shouldn't accept the assignment due to my time constraints as mission president, the government contact, Val Anderson, asked me for my recommendations of someone who I felt could and would chair the huge project. I suggested that they consider Howard Biddulph, Victoria Stake President and a professor at the University of Victoria. To make a very long story short, President Biddulph not only headed up the mammoth undertaking, but did a masterful job of it through out the year that he served as chairman.

Even though I didn't end up serving as chairman, I with Nancy became delegates on the Conference On The Family committee. Along with 200 other delegates from different walks of life throughout the province, we spent an enjoyable weekend in Victoria attending a variety of meetings and events the following spring at the initial meeting of the group. Incidentally, I was very surprised to find that Reverend Wesley Wakefield, the minister who led the opposition to the church in Penticton, B.C., while I served as a missionary some 20 years before, was also a delegate and he and I even served on the same sub committee, but this time as friends. I was also surprised when he inquired about Apostle Hugh B. Brown-by name-who he had met and had been so favorably impressed with at the time.

A personal journal entry dated Friday, Feb. 25, 1977, reads, "President Biddulph called today to tell me that the premier of B. C., William Bennett, has signed a Family Unity Month Proclamation for the province during the month of May. I also received a letter later from the premier to that effect. Great news! What started out as a chance meeting with the premier in the Kelowna Airport has born such wonderful fruit."

I might mention that several of our church members took leading parts in activities surrounding the Conference on the Family and Family Unity Month throughout the province in various locales that first and during succeeding years, providing a wonderful service for the community while at the same time enhancing the image of the church. We learned later that our close friends Bob and Lois Rennie represented the city of North Vancouver as delegates to The Conference On The Family one year.

For several years, I had, with others, worked in behalf of the Indians of the Northwest, Canada and Alaska in Church Education, Student Placement Program, community relationships, proselyting, etc., with limited success to show for our efforts. At one time I had unrealistically entertained the idea that whole or at least part, native villages would embrace the gospel and in mass join the church fulfilling what I had interpreted as prophecies for the gathering of Lamanite Israel. I admit that I left B.C. in the summer of 1974 a bit disillusioned.

When I returned to preside over the Canada Vancouver Mission as president in the Fall of 1974, I decided in my own mind that the scriptural prophecies relative to the Lamanites more closely pertained to Mexico, Central and South America and the Islands of the sea where proselyting among these peoples greatly prospers and the natives join the church in large numbers. For the Lamanites of North America, I felt that the prophecy of Jeremiah 3;14-15, one of a city and two of a family was a more apt description. Our policy toward proselying the Lamanites reflected this concept as our missionaries included them while working with all people as regular missionaries rather than exclusively as Lamanite Missionaries as we once did.

To cite just a few examples of notable Indians who have, over the years, accepted the gospel individually, could include Robert Morales, who had been an LDS Indian Seminary student in Duncan on Vancouver Island. After earning a law degree in Edmonton he returned to work with his own people. Robert also currently serves in the Victoria Stake Presidency. Then there is my close friend Rex Curry, Roosevelt, Utah church leader, and Eddy Brown, one of our missionaries who after acquiring a PhD now serves as the assistant Secretary of the U. S. Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C. Gail Sparrow is another Indian who has made a mark. She joined the church in 1966 as a teenager then rose to many leadership positions in the urban Musqueam tribe in Vancouver, B.C. while in her early twenties. (The September 1997 issue of the Ensign magazine contains a nice write-up about Gail's recent election as chief of the North American Musqueam Indian Nation.) I am reminded of my association with the Musqueam Band by the set of killer whale wall carvings Gail gave to me while serving as mission president.

While singling out a few instances of North American native Indians that I know who have accepted and remained true to the gospel, I do not wish to discount the fact that thousands of active, progressive and respected Native members of the church can be found in branches and wards scattered across the United States and Canada who hold fast to the promises of covenant Lamanite Israel. My love for these people remains.

In a journal entry dated July 1, 1976, I wrote, "Had a call from a lady in Richmond, who with her husband will join the church this weekend. When I asked her how she had come in contact with the church, she replied with bubbly enthusiasm, 'The missionaries knocked on our door - it was like a touch out of heaven to us.'" As I reflect back over the course of these three years, I too feel that my association with these missionaries was like a touch of heaven. This is not to say that I didn't face many challenging and sometimes sad situations dealing with these young spirits but nevertheless retain a wonderfully warm spot in my heart for all of them. I will recount a few of these experiences, adding to those already mentioned

Late one night in August of 1976, I received a call from Elders Savage and Davis, laboring in the interior town of Ashcroft, B.C., requesting urgent council. A fellow they were teaching had admitted to escaping two years ago from the Nevada State prison in Las Vegas where he was serving a life sentence on three counts of murder. Apparently he and the girl, who had helped him to escape were living together in Ashcroft, hiding from the law under assumed names, at the time the missionaries had made contact them. As they unfolded the story to me flashes of a recently reported case in Texas where two Mormon missionaries had been hacked to pieces with a knife by a demented contact suddenly came to mind, and I told the missionaries not to even consider returning to visit the fellow, but to call and wait for the RCMP to place the couple in custody.

Shortly after my call the mounted police arrived and arranged to have the escaped convict carted back to Nevada; however, his girl friend alluded arrest. Unlike the missionaries in Texas who disregarded their mission president's advice and paid the price for disobedience with their lives, our two elders followed council and reaped the blessing of protection. Certainly it would have soon dawned on the escaped convict that confiding his crime to these two young men was not the smart thing to do, and having realized his mistake, would have surely come looking for them with dire consequences resulting.

At a later time, one of the missionaries in this story, Elder Savage, wrote to me of an incident far different from the one just related. He and his companion had left the town of Oliver to return the 10 miles to their apartment in Osoyoos after working all day without achieving much success. He related that as they rode along in their car he heard a distinct voice tell him to return to Oliver and check out a "temple referral" (information on visitors at our various temple sites), located in the glove box of their car. Since this type of referral usually turned out to be non-productive, Elder Savage briefly hesitated to follow the instructions he heard. However, knowing the importance of responding to the promptings of the spirit, the elders turned their car around, returning to Oliver to search for the address on the referral. He reported that they found a really "golden family" there to teach and in a short time baptized all family members into the church.

An entry from my journal dated Tuesday, March 30, 1975, reads: "I had a difficult time reaching Prince George today as I went to hold a zone meeting with the missionaries. First, the airport had overbooked the morning flight so I had to wait and leave at 1:00 P.M. Then that plane developed mechanical problems so we had to transfer to another. We finally arrived in St. George that evening in a driving snow storm. Upon touching down at the airport, I commented to the stewardess on the huge snowfall. She rejoined with, 'Oh, most of that was left over from last year!' The standing joke for the Prince George and the Caribou country was '10 months winter and 2 months poor sledding.' " Note: Winter driving conditions in the province presented difficulty much of the time for many of the missionaries, especially with those unaccustomed to driving in the snow and ice. I remember on the morning of a big overnight snowstorm in Vancouver, nine accidents were reported in before we could ground all mission vehicles. Also during one cold stretch of bad winter weather three mission vehicles were completely totaled out. Fortunately, the missionaries in these accidents received only minor injuries.

Of course most of my associations with missionaries involved those assigned to labor in the Canadian Vancouver Mission; however, I also had the privilege of calling and setting apart young men and woman from British Columbia to serve in other parts of the world. Glenn Miller from Williams Lake was an example. At his setting apart, I felt impressed to promise him that if he would work diligently that he would experience great success in the Louisiana mission to which he had been assigned and moreover that his non-member father would embrace the gospel in his absence. When I released him two years later Elder Miller joyfully reported that he had baptized 23 converts-one for every month of his mission up till then and in a few days he would take his own father down into the waters of baptism-his 24th convert!

I heard another heartwarming story from Lilly Gulbrandsen of Vanderhoof, B.C., at the time I set her apart June 1,1976, to serve a full time mission in Finland. Her father Orin, after going broke selling organs in their hometown in Minnesota in the 1960's, decided to move his family west seeking new opportunities. With very little money, but a few horses, some livestock, chickens and a lot of faith and courage the family decided to travel to Utah the same way their pioneer ancestors had come west-by horse drawn covered wagons.

As a 10 year old, Lilly rode a horse the entire distance; However, on the second day out she had to spend time in a hospital as a result of suffering an injury when kicked by her horse. In order to provide for essentials, the family sold picture postcards of the family to interested people along the way. She said that they were prepared to eat their 16 chickens enroute but because of the generosity of people they met they were able to keep the chickens for the farm they planned to purchase in Utah. After two and one half months of rigorous travel they arrived at their destination where they remained until immigrating years later to Canada, homesteading a large tract of land in northern British Columbia.

After learning of Lilly's background, I had the distinct feeling that she wouldn't have any problem adjusting to the challenges of missionary work in a far off land including mastering the Finnish language, thought by some to be the most difficult of all to learn.

On occasion, missionaries would receive the sad news that loved ones at home had passed away. When this would happened the church missionary committee, considering the expense to the family, offered the missionary the option of either going home to attend the funeral or to remain in the mission field. One such case involved Elder Paige Farmer from Ogden, Utah, whose mother called me on the evening of November 10, 1975, with the sad news that her husband had been killed in a head-on car collision while riding home from work. She asked me if I would break the devastating news to her son. This proved to be very difficult for me, especially since Paige had been in the mission field barely two weeks. Tears streamed down both of our faces as we sat together in my office talking about the tragedy. At length I asked him to go upstairs to the purple room to pray about the decision to either go home or to remain in the field. He later returned to say that he would remain in the mission field and not go home for the funeral-something he felt his father would want him to do. I commended Elder Farmer for his dedication and courage before sending him on his way. In all but one of the half dozen like cases we faced, the missionaries, after making it a matter of prayer and consulting with family, decided to remain in the mission field.

In the one situation where the missionary did go home to attend his father's funeral in Downy, California, a rather bizarre and cruel hoax occurred. In a sinister attempt to extort insurance money from the family, someone, upon reading about the death in the local newspaper, called the deceased man's wife pretending to have their missionary son Floyd in their custody, drugged and demanding a ransom. After getting in touch with Elder Burch, who had since returned from the funeral to his assignment in Victoria, I then called to assure Sister Burch that her missionary son was safe and that we would take precautionary measures to see that he receive adequate protection in these strange circumstances.

Occasionally a few of these missionaries would become disheartened with their heavy responsibilities, or for some other reasons would decide to leave the mission field and go home. I keenly felt the responsibility to try and persuade these discouraged missionaries to remain and complete their missions. Usually reasoning, coupled with the use of the scriptures, provided the remedy for helping the distraught elder find reasons to remain and honorably finish his mission. For instance the passage spoken by the Apostle Paul proved particularly effective. "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day." (2 Timothy 4:7-10) Later in the passage the apostle also speaks of a missionary companion who deserted him. "Demas hath forsaken me and having loved this present world and is departed." Not wanting to be compared to Demas, but to Paul, usually would cause the missionary to rethink the decision to leave the mission, choosing instead to remain and faithfully endure to the end.

Another situation comes to mind which involved a product of the Church's Indian Student Placement Program. This Lamanite missionary had come to us from a white foster home in southern Alberta but had recently found out that his real mother, on the Indian reserve, had decided to place his baby brother up for adoption. This situation, coupled with the fact that she was an alcoholic, his father had run away from home, another brother had been sent to prison, etc., made life seem unbearable for the elder. Even though my heart ached for him, I knew that there was really not much he could do at home to rectify the unfortunate situation. I therefore tried to persuade him that remaining in the mission field would have a more positive effect on conditions there than if he were to return home, employing what I called the "two edged sword" concept: You work for the Lord here and he will work for you at home.

Nothing seemed convincing to him, until the scripture that begins the Book of Mormon flashed into my mind. After reading, "I Nephi, having been born of goodly parents", to him, I said, "Elder McMaster, even though you might not be able to say this about your own parents, when you marry and have children of your own, will they be able to speak of you and your wife as goodly parents?" Evidently, internalizing this concept, directly from the record of his own people, provided a long term solution to his concern, since he remained and completed a very productive mission.

In most of these cases, getting to the bottom of the problem was also helpful to keeping the missionary in the field. Such was the case with a young elder from Hillsprings, Alberta, who left the mission on the very same day he arrived. A few days later, his Bishop from Hillsprings called to say that the elder, having arrived home, had confided in him the real reason for his not wanting to stay out. The young man's two front teeth were wide spaced, which in his mind, would hamper meeting and teaching people in the mission field. Once a local dentist remedied the problem with temporary filling for now, the elder confidently returned to become a fine Mountain Top Missionary. Looking back, I count it a real blessing that only one or two missionaries had to be sent home with medical releases.

Our missionaries also demonstrated a depth of faith and spiritual maturity uncommon in people so young and inexperienced. I have selected a few incidents to illustrate these admirable spiritual qualities of character.

One summer evening in 1975, a member sister called the mission home in Vancouver from Williams Lake, B.C., requesting a priesthood blessing before an operation for brain cancer scheduled to take place in a hospital in Vancouver. I asked two members of my staff to go and give her a blessing. The doctors while performing the operating the next morning after her arrival were astounded as they probed inside her skull looking for a non-existent tumor. This, despite the x-ray charts she brought with her from her home in Williams Lake, clearly showed the presence of cancer.

On another occasion two of our missionaries enroute to Terrace from Prince Rupert for a district meeting one wintery morning found themselves skidding out of control, heading toward a loaded logging truck approaching from the opposite direction on the windy snow packed road. Recounting the incident to me later, the elder told how, as they fervently prayed for help, it was as if a giant hand had reached down guiding their vehicle around the approaching truck, thus averting a disastrous head-on collision. For many missionaries inexperienced at driving on icy and snowy roads during the long winters, (several from Polynesia and California) the Mountain Top Mission presented a particular challenge. I recall that after a large snow fall one Saturday evening just before Christmas in Vancouver, I had received reports of 9 accidents before I could ground all vehicles in the lower mainland. With no serious injuries involved, I was reminded again how the Lord miraculously protects these young elders and sisters engaged in his service.

Still on another occasion an elder laboring in the northern part of the province called to inform me that his companion had been diagnosed by a doctor to have mononucleosis. A short time later he called to say that he had given a priesthood blessing to his companion and now he was okay, baffling the doctors who had diagnosed his condition.

The first of two tours of our mission by the Lamanite Generation, an entertainment group from BYU of about fifty performers and their chaperones, provided yet another opportunity for our elders to demonstrate their faith and priesthood powers. The excitement of greeting the two busloads of Indian youth at the mission home that February 13, 1975, afternoon quickly turned to soberness as we discovered more than half the cast had been severely stricken with the flu. We quickly arranged places for those ill to lie down and receive attention on all four levels of the spacious mission home.

More soberness swept over us as the certainty of having to cancel the performance by the group to a sold out house that night began to sink in. "Only a miracle could save the situation now", someone remarked. With that suggestion, the elders in the home, combined with the cast members well enough to move and who held the priesthood began moving from floor to floor administering to the "sick and afflicted." We took our open flasks of consecrated olive oil, and a faith and power reminiscent of the time in church history when the Prophet Joseph Smith and others traveled about the cities of Nauvoo, Illinois and Montrose, Iowa on the banks of the Mississippi River attending to the malaria stricken Saints in July of1839. In both case the end results were the same-the sick rose from their beds of affliction and were healed. Not only did the performance successfully take place that night in Vancouver but we also went ahead with the banquet proceeding the show for over 50 tribal leaders from throughout the area. Indeed in the words of President Spencer W. Kimball, faith does precede the miracle.

Speaking of miracles, I forget who uttered the phrase, "Mormon missionaries: a modern miracle" but I wholeheartedly agree with it. I recall an elder writing a letter to me near the end of his mission which included, "President, have you ever heard of a missionary after two years absolutely refusing to go home?" and another who commented, "Just imagine, having this wonderful experience of a mission and having to pay only $168.00 a month for it!" However, when I sometimes began to think that these missionaries, most of them still in their teens, were larger than life spiritual giants I would reflect on the time when one of them, dressed in his suit, rode off the ferry on Vancouver Island on his bicycle just before Halloween with a carved pumpkin on his head. Yes, the Lord really does hang great weight on thin threads! Having this wonderful association with this "valiant band of Mountain Top Missionaries" greatly enriched my life.

While considered to be a strict mission president by most missionaries as indicated by their expressions of appreciation during and after their mission experience, I feel they were pleased to be part of a disciplined and well ordered mission, and they attributed much of their success to this philosophy. In addition, my not having to send any missionaries home with dishonorable releases stemming from moral transgression largely traced to this tight ship policy, I believe. Prior to this time, I had witnessed several missionaries leave the mission in disgrace as I served as a counselor in four mission presidencies. I was determined that it wouldn't happen on my watch and fortunately it didn't. Most missionaries sought earnestly to "live the gospel with exactness." (a quote by Brigham Young found in the mission handbook, which we fondly called our " white bible'." ) I frequently found myself sharing the counsel with the missionaries to, "work hard and have fun, rather than the other way around."

Because of its central location, we held both of the mission youth conferences during my tenure as mission president in the Okanagan Valley-the first in the southern end at the city of Naramata in 1975 and the second in Kamloops to the north in 1976. ( a third had been planned for 1977 but was held after my departure.) We gave President Smith the responsibility for representing the mission presidency for all three occasions, since he lived in the interior, which placed him in a position to give personal direction to the conference committees.

After he met with the conference youth leaders from the Okanagan District in charge of the conference scheduled for June of 1975, in Naramata, we then met together as a mission presidency to discuss the event. Pres. Smith reported that the youth had proposed the theme for the conference, "More Of Us To find" which we wondered about until explained. The youth had selected the theme from a talk entitled Small Acts of Service given by the Prophet Spencer W. Kimball and reported in the December, 1974, Ensign magazine, part of which read: "Not only do we 'find' ourselves in terms of acknowledging guidance in our lives, but the more we serve our fellowmen in appropriate ways, the more substance there is to our souls. We become more significant individuals as we serve others. We become more substantive as we serve others-indeed it is easier to 'find' ourselves because there is more of us to find."

The youth also came up with the wonderful idea of using most of the youth conference time to serve the community of Naramata performing useful service projects throughout the city. The Naramata city council warmly welcomed the idea and under the supervision of the Junior Chamber of Commerce we went a head with our plans. Some of the projects and activities the more than 300 youth engaged in included fixing up and painting homes and business places, repairing and/or tearing down old buildings, cleaning up the city park and picking up litter on the beaches of the Okanagan Lake. (It was during this last activity that some of the youth grabbed and dunked me in the water which I tried to good naturedly call my "second baptism.")

In addition to the service projects there were also workshop presentations by church leaders, Elder Ted Brewerton, Regional Representative of the Twelve, and Ardith Kapp, councilor in the General Presidency of the church's Young Woman organization. We also arranged for Randy Backman, the leader of Bachman Turner Overdrive, (BTO) one of the hottest rock groups in the U. S. and Canada at the time, and an active LDS member to attend. I had to chuckle at a comment Randy made as I drove him to his motel room after one of his workshop presentations on music. I asked him how he really felt about rock music. He replied, "Well, some of it is probably okay and some of it is a little raunchy depending on the particular piece and how it is handled, However, I'll have to admit that after my concerts I go home and listen to classical music to sort of cleans my soul."

We were pleased that the church selected our youth conference in a segment of a film entitled "Taking Care", produced to illustrate LDS church influence on Canadian history and culture as part of the Canadian centennial year celebration. Also the church's monthly youth magazine, The New Era, featured our youth conference in an illustrated article for September of 1975. Nancy, David, Catherine and I drove to Naramata from Vancouver to participate in the youth conference. When the leaders critiqued the conference they felt the more of us to find theme of the conference had been met. The youth seemed to discover that by reaching out to help others they had internalized Christ's teaching of finding themselves by losing themselves.

About a year later in August of 1976 we held another mission youth conference, this time in the Indian school near Kamloops. B.C., which turned out to be quite different from the first-consisting mainly of workshops, games, outdoor activities, drama productions, dances, etc. Elder Phil Redd, Regional Representative of the Twelve, attended. With my other children working at summer jobs, Steve and I drove to Kamloops to participate in this one together. As we rode along together, I engaged him in a conversation on what it meant to be a "good boy"-not goody two shoes, sissy type but good in the same way one would want to be good at swimming, skiing, playing tennis, etc. I felt I connected with Steve with this reasoning. I quoted Elder Boyd K. Packer who said that he wasn't ashamed for trying to be a good boy when he was young. Certainly in his case a good boy turned out to be a great man. I felt that one of the most important accomplishments of the conference, as far as I was concerned, was the conversation I had with my son while enroute. I was also glad to see that when the youth put on a play production of "Saturday's Warrior" at the conference they involved Steve in a major role.

After returning home, I received a letters from Elder Phillip Redd in which he expressed appreciation for the conference including, "There was established there a level of youth confidence in planning and execution that is without peer in my experience." I gladly passed the compliment on to the youth and their leaders who had put the conference together.

During the last few weeks of our mission, Nancy and I met in regular rounds of district meetings with the saints and zone meetings with the missionaries throughout the mission, taking these opportunities to bid farewell to these people that we had grown to love and admire so much over the years. We appreciated the kind words spoken, letters and cards received, gifts given and parties held in our honor on these and other occasions. I especially felt grateful for the $200 the missionaries gave to me that I later put toward the purchase of a fishing boat and motor.

A few days before departing we welcomed the new mission president Steven Scott and his family into the mission field. Prior to his call, President Scott managed a bank in Salt Lake City. My journal entry of Wednesday, June 29, 1977, the day before we departed, reads: "Spent all day orienting the new mission president. I didn't realize the magnitude of the work until I began to recall everything I needed to pass on to him. Surely I would have perished if it hadn't been for the Lord bracing me up and showing the way during these three years. Wrote some letters and retired dead tired at the end of the day."

On June 30, I received a call from Ron Jolley, the Northwest CES Coordinator, confirming my assignment as the Coordinator of Seminaries and Institutes of Religion in Southwest Washington and Associate Director at the Portland Institute, where I would be officed. While I felt some disappointment at not returning to Bend, Oregon, nevertheless also had the feeling that there was purpose for taking this new assignment. That last day I recorded the following in my journal, "Today I felt a spirit of contentment and joy, believing that the Lord has accepted my offering of a mission. Times have been difficult and at times almost impossible, but the joys far offset the times of sadness." I hoped that the last sentence of the verse I wrote for our mission song, The Mountains, directed to our missionaries, would also apply to Nancy and me. "Let me go to the mountains-having answered the call. Let me finish my mission-after giving my all." I felt that my reward for the last three years were the last three years.

Having safely located three of our children, Dave, Cathy and Karen, who would remain in Canada for awhile, the five of us, Nancy, Steve, Stew, Sara and I loaded up the Jeep Cherokee with our personal belongings and with the moving van following later, headed for the border. For me it would be a special third time crossing over from British Columbia into the United States at the Peace Arch Customs at Blaine, Washington, after having lived in Canada-the first as a young missionary in 1956, later with CES in 1974 and now in 1977 as a returning mission president.