The Salt of the Earth

Elder and Sister "C"

In historic times and before, salt was of extreme importance. It is an essential compound to maintain life. Without it food does not taste as well. But most of all we take it for granted. It's always there when we need it. But this has not always been so. At times, wars have been fought for salt and salt was used as a valuable medium of exchange. Like many things in life we don.t know the true value until we don't have it anymore.

Now let me tell you about some "salt of the earth" that we have found here in the Tennessee Nashville Mission. I hope if they read this, now they are no longer with us in the mission office, they will forgive me for the spotlight. Elder and Sister "C" are those rare people most of us meet a few times in our life that we instantly bond with and become fast friends. I hope that now they are home they will not forget us. But in the short time we had together, they taught us much about giving to others, testimony, hard work, and loving the Lord and his children. They were always at the office before us and we couldn't stay long enough to leave before they did. If something needed to be done for the mission or missionaries they did it in spite of any inconvenience to what they had planned. We are finding it hard to fill their shoes but are trying.

We often judge others by their appearance. From the above photo would you believe this man has been a bishop and stake president, raises and trains Belgium draft horses, has owned and flown his own airplane, and been mayor of a central Utah town? Sister C is a mother of six and filled many Church callings along the way. In the mission office she keeps the missionaries supplied with referrals and did all the mission correspondence.  She was always helping in the mission home when mission events took place.

This salt has not lost it's savior and I doubt it ever will.  I hope we will all look at the things of true value in our life and hold on dearly.

Great and Spacious Buildings

"...a great and spacious building; and it stood as if it were in the air"

These "great and specious" buildings are what we see when we go to the office every morning, and these are just a few of the total.  The forests in Brentwood and parts of the Nashville area are full of them.  We are hoping they have a parade of homes sometime so we can see inside some of them.

What about the contents; the people?  Are they mocking?  Many times I have looked at similar homes in the foothills in Utah and asked why people thought they needed such a big house and all the good they could do with all that money.  Of course my house is just a little small for our needs, and could use some fixing up.

Then one Sunday night we were invited to a members house (yes, one of those houses).  It was an evening of music by LDS people, some professional, some not.  It was extraordinary and one of the most uplifting evenings I have spent in a long time.  The member that hosted the evening is a gifted pianist who played, with another member, hymns of our choosing and they arranged them as they played.  The point is, she could not have hosted this event in my home.  We don't have two pianos, not even one.  (She has four).  Should I judge others?  Not if I follow the example of the Savior.  I don't walk in their shoes.  I don't know what they do with their money, what good they do that would be impossible with out their income.

Then, how many look at my five bedroom house in Utah and wonder what good I could do with all that money.

Lawrenceburg Lions

Here are some more lions for Charlotte.

Some lions guard driveways.  Some guard museums.  Some just sit there and don't move.   

These guard the memory of someone we have all heard of including many legends of dubious historical accuracy.

Lawrenceburg, Tennessee is the one time home of David or Davy Crockett.

David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was a celebrated 19th-century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician. He is referred to in popular culture as Davy Crockett and after the 1950s by the epithet “King of the Wild Frontier.” He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives, served in the Texas Revolution, and died at the Battle of the Alamo.
Crockett grew up in East Tennessee, where he gained a reputation for hunting and storytelling. After being elected to the rank of colonel in the militia of Lawrence County, Tennessee, he was elected to the Tennessee state legislature in 1821. In 1826, Crockett was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressman Crockett vehemently opposed many of the policies of President Andrew Jackson, most notably the Indian Removal Act. Crockett's opposition to Jackson's policies led to his defeat in the 1834 elections, prompting his angry departure to Texas shortly thereafter. In early 1836, Crockett took part in the Texas Revolution and was killed at the Battle of the Alamo in March.
Crockett became famous in his own lifetime for larger-than-life exploits popularized by stage plays and almanacs. After his death, he continued to be credited with brazen acts of mythical proportion. These led in the 20th century to television and movie portrayals, and he became one of the best-known American folk heroes.<sup>[1][2]

Thank you Wikipedia.</sup>