Christmas Eve, 1974

It is a few minutes past midnight--2007 years ago the Savior came to this earth to fulfill his mission and complete the Atonement. I now sit in the study in our home looking at the picture of the Savior in Gethsemane and beneath it is a picture of Spencer W. Kimball--our present day prophet. I feel compelled by the Spirit to spend time in prayer and meditation. Perhaps I may stay up all night. It is odd that I should feel such a deep sense of spiritual yearning because we have spent a wonderful family evening together. All of the children have completed their pictures and I will now make a composite to be given to each member of the family for their book of remembrance. I feel that I am on the very brink of having some type of spiritual manifestation that may provide direction or indication to me of my needs as a patriarch to the family. I know the greatness of each of the members of this family and I know that I am to play and important part in helping them reach their potential in becoming choice outstanding people in the Kingdom of God.

My soul is filled with gratitude at this hour--life is sweet and "my world" is filled with so much love. I truly yearn and feel for those who suffer this night. I will turn to the scriptures to search for a closeness to my Father in Heaven and the Savior that I have never known or accomplished before. I pray that the lord will grant me this privilege!!!

A letter from Mark Perry...

A letter from Mark Perry--one of my seminary students I was associated with who has now become a full time missionary in Germany. What a wonderful period of harvest this is now for me for the years of seminary teaching I put in--my students have become as spiritual sons and daughters to me.

Dear Brother Anderson and Family!

I received your letter last week and I wish to thank you for it, also for the contribution, it helped a lot! I am so grateful for the influence that people like you have had in my life. Bro. Anderson, as I look back I will never forget those years I spent in seminary with you; I learned so much and often the things I learned have caused reflection of my real purpose in life. If I can only learn to radiate the things I have learned so that others can learn from me, my purpose is partly fulfilled. We need more people like you all in the church and that's one of the reasons that I am over here, to help find them! The work is going fantastic over here right now! We are in the middle of a mission fast right now to help improve the mission spiritually and I know as we do this, and as you back home continue to pray for our success, we will continue to bring people to the Lord's true church! May the Lord bless you during this beautiful Christmas season and always.

Love, Elder Mark Perry

December 22, 1974...first page of "Journal No 2".

As I began to keep a journal in October, 1973, I did so with a prayer. As I look back over the past year it is evident that the Lord has blessed us immensely and wrought many miracles in our lives. Keeping a journal helps to be more aware of what is actually taking place in one's life. I truly believe that a journal does the following:

1.) provides a record of one's life and inner feelings while experiencing his mortal existence.

2.) Provides a means to more accurately reflect upon one's progress in life and most importantly--how he stands in living the Gospel

3.) Provides a means by which he can teach--particularly his family for generations to come.

4.) establishes a pattern of reflection and thought that brings one closer to the Lord--why? Because it takes time to sit down, and write and this breaks the habit of living each day the same--it makes one break the pace of the frenzied type of life we now tend to lead.--moderation.

5. it provides a stimulus for more letter writing of great importance in our lives. I am amazed that I have done more letter writing this year than ever before! I have written to many people who are important in my present and past life and I have written letters to all of our eleven missionaries, and weekly wetters to Tom while on his mission.

6.) By recording ones "spirit" and deep sacred innermost thoughts in a journal he is in essence preserving a constant prayer to his Father in Heaven.

December 22, 1974

As we listened to one of the finest Christmas programs I have ever heard, I wrote down the feelings of my heart. It is, in essence, a prayer of gratitude.

As we prepare for Christmas this year, my heart is full because my life is filled with so much love. I have so much love for our Father in Heaven and for the Savior who loves us all so deeply to have given us such great gifts.

I feel a measure of the gift of charity--to love and be loved by others with the spirit that makes my soul rejoice with gratitude. I have received many letters of gratitude from previous seminary students who are now on missions. I have also received letters of love from my true friends. These are they who have been touched by the Spirit and feel the true Spirit of Christmas. The men of the world that I work with in my profession and other pursuits are honorable men but do not extend this same feeling.

Therefore, I can never "give" enough or express adequate gratitude to the Savior for the gift he has given me that my heart might be at peace; that by following HIS exemplary life I may live forever in His presence, to pursue His work, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of my fellow men. I pray, dear God, to direct my life that I may share this joy with everyone that will receive it.

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As the chairman of our scout committee I was pleased to give the Eagle scout charge to Howard Gessel tonight. He is the son of close friends of ours in the ward. In composing my thoughts I came across some statements I wanted to keep and remember.

Nature gives man 2 ends--one to sit on and one to think with--one man's success depends on the one he uses most.

Quality isn't accidental--it is always the result of intelligent effort.

You are what you do
Not what you want to do
Not what you hope to do
Not what you think you do
But what you do do.

October 6, 1974

Kirk James, Greg (Jane’s friend) and Tom and I went through the Provo Temple today where Tom received his own endowments. It was one of the very special days of my life. To be in the Lord’s sacred house with these choice young men brought me closer to my dear Father in Heaven and His beloved Begotten Son than I have known in some time. This same feeling continued throughout the day and I was able to have deep talks of committed love with Jane, Greg, I also called Chris and Eric by phone and proclaimed to them their great worth in our family and my personal love for them. I love my Father in Heaven because He has led me in the pathways of righteous love and “caring” for my wife, my beloved family, my friends, and all men, having removed the feelings of prejudice that I have known in the past. I will do anything necessary to continue this great blessing in a world where Satan rules as he did in the days of Noah. I serve my dear Father and the Savior because I have drunk at the fountain of their great love.

October 2, 1974

I have spent several hours transcribing this blessing from my tape recorder. I have pondered what it contains and am overwhelmed with gratitude for what it contains and the circumstances under which it was given. I feel that this blessing is meant for Norma as much as for me because we truly share our priesthood and we desire together to be “one” for this family and with our Savior and Father in Heaven who are “one”. My gratitude for the association of my Bishop is immeasurable. I love him more than a brother because in his immense humility and true leadership capabilities as outlined in D&C 121, he basks in the love, guidance, and glory of our Father in Heaven. Every action that I witness is one that brings glory to his Father and the Savior. And so it is that I can receive such a blessing under his hands and know that it is coming from God. The blessing could have been no greater had it come from the President of the Church himself. I say this with the deepest respect and humility because I perceive by the Spirit that this is the order of things in the Kingdom of God.

            We need to have assurance as imperfect mortal beings upon this earth that we are “measuring up” to some measure. I rejoice that my life at this time of my mortal and eternal existence is of worth to my dear Father in Heaven because my love for Him and for the Savior has reached such proportions that were it rejected my plea would be for extinction of my soul because of the devastating, crushing, destructive effect it would have upon my eternal soul and my identity as a son.

October 1, 1974

A special blessing given to me by my Bishop – Edward Fillerup. [Kirk notes in the margin that “This blessing was given to me at my request because of my concern for guidance and direction in establishing a family business]. “Kirk J. Anderson, by the authority of the Priesthood which I bear and by the authority of a Bishop I lay my hands upon your head and give you a Bishop’s blessing. This is a great privilege for me to be associated with one such as you and have the close association we are able to experience, to bear testimony to each other and acknowledge the workings of our Father in Heaven in our behalf. I’m grateful for you and for Sister Anderson, I’m grateful for your family.

            At this time I pronounce a blessing upon your head that you might be invigorated in mind and body and Spirit that the infirmities which are afflicting your body will be rejected that you might be made strong and whole and to receive your full health and strength and go about your affairs as you desire to do. [Kirk notes in the margin that “2 days prior to this blessing I had been in the hospital”] I pray that the conflicting elements pressing your system will be cast off.

            Now I bless you that you might have wisdom that you might have intelligence and knowledge to fulfill your foreordination here upon this earth, to continue to be the great learder that you are. Now we’re conscious of the earth foreordained to be a celestial sphere and everything created hereon has the potential to be a celestial being or celestial person. We bless you that you might indeed fulfill this destiny and that you might be a celestial being and reap the benefits of celestial life during the eternities. Now you have been concerned about your family and about the opportunities the family might have and we know of your concern that they grow up in righteousness, that they love and serve the Lord and we bless you that you might have insight into the lives and workings and thinking of your family that you might be of great assistance in rearing and teaching them to be a righteous and mighty family.

            The Lord is mindful of your desire to serve. He is mindful of your faithfulness and for your great stamina in defense of the testimony of the Gospel, and He is mindful that you do have concern for your family and I bless you and pronounce a blessing upon your head that you will have an insight and be able to understand and be able to help members of you family that you might teach them; bless them; be with them; enjoy them; and be able to help them. Now, you are concerned about a situation where you might be able to help them in a material way that all members of the family might be able to work together. Now, I say to you, Brother Anderson, that if you will be prayerful and think these things out in your own mind and then after considerable pondering, thinking, praying and developing a program which you can present to the Lord He will make it known to you whether you should go into this particular effort. It will probably take serious thought and serious consideration on your part. I am sure that the Lord is not going to reveal things to you without effort on your part. We each have a right to inspiration, revelation and guidance from our Heavenly Father and He will direct us in our own personal affairs and in our own personal desires and wants if we make these things known to him and if we present a possible solution.

            One of the great prophets that exhibited great faith was the Brother of Jared. He asked the Lord in mighty prayer how to take care of the ship that they might have light and he prayed to the Lord to give him directions to know what to do for light, and then he went about pondering this, working it in his own mind, and devised the idea that if the Lord would light the pebbles and stones that he collected that he would have light. He did so and then asked the Lord in faith and in prayer to bless him that he might be successful in this. He was also concerned about air for the ship and the Lord instructed him and gave him a solution to these problems and the Lord said “there had not been one come to Him so great in faith as the Brother of Jared”. This is the temperament that you have. You have the great faith and the great wisdom to acknowledge the Lord in your daily affairs and in your efforts and it is a great test of faith now that you now desire to be blessed and receive a blessing that you might know how to move, how to ponder, and how to work in bringing to pass the things that you desire for you family. I can assure you, brother Anderson, that if you do go to the Lord in faith and a proper receptive mood that the Lord will bless you with solutions to your desires. I bless you that you might continue to be successful in your efforts in your occupation; that you might be able to assist all the people that come to you for help and relieve their suffering. This has been a great thing that you have done to the populace of the world, helping them; assisting them in mending broken limbs and bodies that they might walk and talk and move about, and surely the Lord recognizes your great effort in this area. We bless you that you might continue to be blessed to have the skill, knowledge, and the intelligence to know what to do and how to do it in each particular case. What a marvelous thing it is to be able to assist mankind in this area.

            We bless you as a member of the Bishopric that you might be able to help this ward and to present the proper image to the youth of this ward that you might have the proper rapport, that you will be great and magnanimous, that they will desire to come to you with their individual problems, that you will give them the attention and help and help each one with their testimonies that they might not stray from the true Gospel as outlined by our Savior.

            We are so grateful for you presence in this ward and for your love and for your appreciations and attention to every detail and know that you are blessed for these things. The great test of faith – we know that we will be tested in our fait, in our guidance and direction. We know that there will be moments when we will feel that we are isolated from the Lord and that He has turned His back upon us but it is only that we are being tested. The Lord must test individuals and each person so that He can depend on him that He desires to rise to great heights. You too will rise to mightier and greater stations in this life and in the life to come through your obedience and diligence and desire to serve.

            Be prayerful, pray to the Lord each morning and night and ask Him for His blessings and He will be there, bless you, lift you up, you will be mighty in His sight.

            I pronounce these blessings upon you Brother Anderson, gratefully, humbly, in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, Amen.