O How Lovely: Apostles New England

This weekend has had a historic feeling to it, so I will report

on that as my blog post for this week. We have heard for many

weeks about a special event that was in "pre-hush" mode

for security and site management reasons that RED circled

October 19th on the calendar for us here in the NHMM. 

A couple of weeks ago or less came the word that Pres. Ballard

would be addressing missionaries in the North American NE Area,

along with Elder Christopherson. Area Pres. Bennett and the

wives of the last two were also present and delivered brief

but important messages. More about Pres. Ballard's messages later.

The missionaries-only broadcast originated from

the visitors center at the Joseph Smith Memorial Birthplace

where only a few of the close-by missionaries would fit

to listen to the originating addresses. As the mission authority

of the area, our own Pres. Beck helped organize and

conducted the meeting. It was a beautiful day, and the window

backdrop to the speakers was wonderful. Even the blacktop

roadway behind looked like a serene stream.

Here you can see how small the area for the audience

and speakers was, as Pres. Bennett speaks.

 Two young missionary sisters (Warburton and Hendricks)

prepared and sang an arrangement of O How Lovely

Was the Morning, with Elder Crum accompanying on

the keyboard (expected a piano - 

found it was a keyboard - yikes). They were awesome.

Pres. Ballard in the Saturday morning meeting

spoke about his family heritage at the JSBM site.

His great great grandfather Hyrum Smith lived there 

for a time, and Pres. Ballard feels a strong tie there.

You can find more information about the visit to the site

by following this LINK. 

He spoke about all the small things

that had to be in place historically for the Prophet to be born

and the Restoration to happen, from the invention of papyrus

that could be more easily written on and transported to

be shared, to the early prophets such as Adam and Noah

and Abraham and Moses, 

to Tyndale and the common-man translation 

of the Holy Bible, to the American Revolution.

He said God had his eye on the Joseph Smith primogeniture

from the very beginning, because of his fore-ordination

to be the one who was in place to help God in his plan.

Pres. Ballard also spoke at a New England area devotional

Sunday evening in Wooster, MA at the DCU Events Center.

We watched the meeting on a feed to the Manchester chapel.

He continued his historical theme by inviting us to pay

attention to the little things that put us in the right places

to have important things happen in our lives.

He talked about his own genealogy that goes back

to the Plymouth Colony, to one indentured servant

who was washed overboard from the ship, and by

grabbing hold of a rope that just happened to stream by 

he was hauled back on board. 

He later married a fellow traveler who had also arrived on

the ship and they raised a family of 10. They were more

important to the history that extends forward from the Plymouth

events than others whose names are more prominent,

since their thousands of descendants feature political leaders,

poets, social influencers, and even Pres. Ballard. 

Pres. Ballard next summarized events in American

Revolutionary history that led to the conditions

that would be conducive to the Restoration of

the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He talked about Henry Knox

whose foresight and inspiration prompted him to

have sleds constructed to move captured British cannons

to Dorchester Heights to overlook Boston Harbor

and force the British to abandon the siege and

blockade there. It was winter, and they expected
that the cannon-loaded sleds would be able to slide
across the snow. But there was NO snow - so he led his troupes
to pray for Heaven's help, and it snowed 
so the cannons could be in place.
He cited many circumstances where

American forefathers and mothers prayed for guidance

and intervention from Heaven as they sought for freedom

Pres. Ballard concluded his remarks by stating that

today there is as essential a need for people to recognize

the hand of God in this free land. He urged us to get involved

in a new movement, to pray to God for the protection and

preservation of this country, He made it sound urgent.

We remember the promise and warning from the Book

of Mormon that this echoes.

We will begin together here in the Warner household

to add, in a more pointed and deliberate way,

prayers for the preservation of this country, for the emergence

of leaders who will be more righteous and recognize God's

hand in the creation and preservation of this land of the free.

Our lamps have been filled in a tremendous measure.