18. To Jerry

A letter to my brother Jerry in Boise, Idaho, written from the mission office in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, March 31, 1969.

Dear Jerry,

Once again I am glad to be hearing from you. I do not understand exactly why your letters have not been coming through, but I am glad to know you have been writing every week. Certainly you are always welcome to ramble to me (that is what brothers are for), but I wish sometimes you would ramble in a little more detail. Just as an example, who is Lareen?

You spent most of your last letter speaking about your problem—a moral problem as you termed it—and the complications that was creating. You said that after three days of fasting, prayer, the Lord’s help, Lareen’s help, you made the choice and the change. Would it be out of place to ask what were the choice and the change? I do not need to know of the past if you do not care to relate it (especially if repentance has been involved), but I really am interested in more information about whatever is going on.

Although you suggested I did not know what was going on, I think that I am aware of more than you ever would have realized. As a person tries to serve the Lord and tries to live by the Spirit (which you remember I spoke of often last summer), he has greater abilities given him to discern between light and darkness, between good and evil. I was aware of some problem that was not of the Lord that was blocking further progress in your life—that must have been what you were referring to. I even think I know the sort of problem it may have been, but I need not go into that here. I will rely on reticence here also.

Enough of such rambling—I guess I do a lot of rambling too. Since this conference season I will not be able to participate, please write following the sessions to give a detailed report of the proceedings. It will be July or even later before we will have the June Improvement Era with the messages from the Brethren and the Prophet. And so please fill me in on every exciting detail concerned with the conference.

Are you saving your pennies? You always used to say you would come to meet me at the end of my mission. Brazil is a super exciting place that you would like to visit. I have no idea how much it would cost (probably $600 or $800 round trip), but it is interesting to think about.

Unfortunately my time is running short today and this will have to end now. I was saddened to hear of President Eisenhower’s death. What were the details of that? Know of my prayers and love in your behalf.