Family Heritage from a Hymn

As I count my blessings of testimony and legacy of membership

in the restored Gospel that is the Church of

Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I often revert back to

the favorite family story of conversion that is the headwater

for the Glissmeyer clan, my "born to" lineage.

When I came across this worn and tattered music recently
in our family collection of memorabilia,

I wanted to share it in a post about our family legacy.

There is a hand-written inscription to my grandfather

August Glissmeyer, who had a wonderful voice, sang with

the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and also soloed in congregations

around the Salt Lake Valley. It was his father Heinrich who

first was touched by this hymn in a far-away village in Germany,

as described recently by my brother Eric Glissmeyer 

(also a noted vocal soloist) in these paragraphs:

Heinrich Glissmeyer

"The hymns certainly can build faith and testimony as evidenced in the life of my great grandfather Heinrich Glissmeyer. He lived in the small town of Egesdorf near Hanover, Germany. One day while walking home from the coal mines where he worked, he passed a small home. He paused to listen to a hymn that was being sung within the house. The words of the hymn sank deep into his heart. They spoke of an Eternal Father in Heaven, and of a wise and glorious purpose for being here on Earth, and of our eventual return to the embrace of our Heavenly Parents. The name of the hymn – ‘O My Father”.

Heinrich Glissmeyer

After standing there for a time, he noticed that people began to come out of the house. Among these was a friend who worked at the mine with him. Heinrich later asked his friend what was going on in the house, and came to discover that it was a cottage meeting of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Eventually Heinrich joined the Church, along with his wife and children, and some of his siblings and their families. Many lives were affected because of a powerful hymn and the effect it had on my great grandfather. As you can imagine, ‘O My Father’ has a special significance for my family."

An interesting coincidence occurred as I attended the MTC

this week that ties this hymn into an interesting spiral.

As I relaxed in the Admin. Building hallway

between dinner and the Tuesday night devotional,

I was aware of an energetic "district" of young sister missionaries

who were chatting and visiting in front of the world map which is

a favorite group or companionship photo op spot. Suddenly I heard

someone say "Sister Glissmeyer", and my attention was riveted.

I took the chance to stand, locate this Sister [Kaylie] Glissmeyer,

who comes through the same heritage line of Heinrich -

and chat briefly. We all are cousins of one level or another.

There we were together, committed to serving to share the Gospel

which all those years ago began our connection to

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

The restored Gospel of Jesus Christ makes it a small world.