Excerpts from a letter Claudia wrote to her family on Friday, February 19, 1971, from Salzburg, Austria. She recounts their trip through East Germany to visit Berlin.
Last Thursday we took our trip to Berlin—that was really neat and interesting! Especially the train ride through East Germany and our visits in East Berlin. The country in East Germany is really beautiful—it’s sort of like a pastoral view of the 1890s—with beautiful rolling hills and patchwork fields of green, the quaintly architectured buildings which must have been built ages ago, the rivers and streams that flow across the country and the men with their wagons pulled by horses. The little towns were almost deserted—you didn’t see anyone walking around and there weren’t any cars to be seen. It was all a pretty picture but kind of sad in today’s world of advancements.
When we went across the border into East Germany we stopped at a train station for the East German guards to check our passports. The train station wasn’t like any i’d ever been in—it was empty except for one woman with a suitcase and the gob of guards that swarmed onto the train to check us. That was a freaky and exciting experience—we had to just sit in our seats and be quiet, we weren’t supposed to laugh or anything and no books (especially political science books) were to be out—the guards could confiscate anything if they wanted so we had to be quiet and good and not aggravate them while they looked at our passports and stamped them. We were checked by several guards to make sure none of the other guards had let anyone slip in who shouldn’t. Absolutely no rights then and if we got into trouble the U.S. government couldn’t even help because we don’t recognize East Germany as a country and we don’t even have an American embassy there.
There was a marked change from the empty oldness of East Germany to the bustling newness of West Berlin, where the streets were full of cars and people. Being almost totally rebuilt after the war, West Berlin is a very modern city like New York or L.A. We stayed in a hostile there which was large and really quite nice—I was expecting it to have one big long room with straw mats to sleep on—the girls at one end and the guys at the other with the directors and their families in between—but it wasn’t like that at all! There were three sets of bunk beds which were really comfortable and we had feather blankets that kept us snuggily warm—it was a very clean, nice place. But I understand this was an exceptional hostile—most of them aren’t quite that nice.
Friday we had a tour of West Berlin—including the wall, which is miles of wire and concrete—there’s a platform you can climb up and look out across the wall into the East. It’s hard to explain the feeling it all gives you, I wish I could. The day was gray, foggy, overcast and dismally dreary, but it seemed to exactly fit the atmosphere and situation. It’s really sad to look across to see an imprisoned people who can’t even do likewise.
Saturday we went on a tour of East Berlin—the buildings there are a lot older—some haven’t even been really repaired since the war and even though they’re different colors the whole city just seems to be varying shades of grey. East Berlin does have a charm of its own though that West Berlin doesn’t really have—here are all the old historical buildings of Berlin and the cultural center of former times. Being rebuilt after the war, the West doesn’t have that.
Sunday we went back to East Berlin and had the neatest experience! Two teachers from Frankfurt am Main took us around and explained everything to us. They were so nice! One took us clear through the museum of German history and explained it to us—it was interesting to see how even though they had presented the facts, the East Germans had kind of colored the history the way they wanted by emphasizing certain things—it was neat because the teachers could point out a lot more of this propaganda to us and we would have missed a lot. They also took us to the Paragam museum which has the altar of Zeus and a lot of other stuff from ancient cultures—that Altar of Zeus is enormous! It was really interesting!!! and those two men were so nice to take the time to show us around like that—they were so cute. One kept apologizing for his English, which was really quite good—he hadn’t had an opportunity to use it in twelve years. Goll, I wish I could speak German that good!
Friday, April 11, 2008
55. Claudia from Salzburg
Excerpts from a letter Claudia wrote to her family on Saturday, February 6, 1971, from Salzburg, Austria. It was her 20th birthday.
Liebe Mutti, Vatti, David und Gunther
Jetzt bin ich hier in Salzburg und ich kann es noch nicht glauben! Salzburg is really a beautiful city! I love it! We’re surrounded by mountains and we even have two castles! Right now there’s snow on the ground and it’s just like a fairy tale! (We had snow Wednesday afternoon and it kept right on snowing until Thursday morning so the snow is really hanging heavy on the trees—it’s so joyful!)
Classes start Monday and i’m really looking forward to them—I think they’re going to be awfully interesting and jolly!
Yesterday Brother Nestlinger took us on a tour of the city—he’s the cutest little old man. He met us at the train station too (he meets the BYU kids and all the new missionaries when they come) and he always wears the joyful little outfits you picture an Austrian man would wear—right down to the hats with the feathers and stuff in them! He took us all over and there’s so much to see here, so much history—buildings built anytime from about the 1890s on are considered new (any building that isn’t over 100 years old is young). We even saw Sound of Music places where it was filmed!!
Thursday evening we went to Relief Society and that was neat! I could understand quite a bit; but that didn’t matter even so because even if you couldn’t, you could have felt their spirit there. These are extraordinary women. It would really be a test to your testimony to live where there are so few of you and where you’re challenged all the time.
Salzburg is a beautiful place and I like it quite a bit better than Paris, although I really had a joyful time there! The German food is delicious!!
Oh, I haven’t told you about my room yet—it’s really cute and fun! It’s just little—two beds, a sink, and a wooden closet that’s for both of us. The neatest part of the whole room is the little part that juts out and is part of the gable (we’re on the third floor, the very top)—we have a little desk and chair there with a window that looks out onto Salzburg and the mountains—i’m writing from there now—it’s my favorite part of the room, but the whole thing is just the coziest, most joyful thing ever!!!
Liebe Mutti, Vatti, David und Gunther
Jetzt bin ich hier in Salzburg und ich kann es noch nicht glauben! Salzburg is really a beautiful city! I love it! We’re surrounded by mountains and we even have two castles! Right now there’s snow on the ground and it’s just like a fairy tale! (We had snow Wednesday afternoon and it kept right on snowing until Thursday morning so the snow is really hanging heavy on the trees—it’s so joyful!)
Classes start Monday and i’m really looking forward to them—I think they’re going to be awfully interesting and jolly!
Yesterday Brother Nestlinger took us on a tour of the city—he’s the cutest little old man. He met us at the train station too (he meets the BYU kids and all the new missionaries when they come) and he always wears the joyful little outfits you picture an Austrian man would wear—right down to the hats with the feathers and stuff in them! He took us all over and there’s so much to see here, so much history—buildings built anytime from about the 1890s on are considered new (any building that isn’t over 100 years old is young). We even saw Sound of Music places where it was filmed!!
Thursday evening we went to Relief Society and that was neat! I could understand quite a bit; but that didn’t matter even so because even if you couldn’t, you could have felt their spirit there. These are extraordinary women. It would really be a test to your testimony to live where there are so few of you and where you’re challenged all the time.
Salzburg is a beautiful place and I like it quite a bit better than Paris, although I really had a joyful time there! The German food is delicious!!
Oh, I haven’t told you about my room yet—it’s really cute and fun! It’s just little—two beds, a sink, and a wooden closet that’s for both of us. The neatest part of the whole room is the little part that juts out and is part of the gable (we’re on the third floor, the very top)—we have a little desk and chair there with a window that looks out onto Salzburg and the mountains—i’m writing from there now—it’s my favorite part of the room, but the whole thing is just the coziest, most joyful thing ever!!!
54. Claudia from Paris
A postcard Claudia wrote to her family in California on Saturday, January 30, 1971, from Paris, France. As a student at Brigham Young University, Claudia did a semester abroad in Salzburg, Austria, from January till May 1971. She turned 20 while she was in Europe. A picture of the Arc de Triomphe was on the reverse side of her postcard. Gunther was the family’s German shepherd dog.
Dear Dad, Mom, David, and Gunther,
Howdy doody!
Gee, here i am in Paris & i don’t believe it even now! except for it’s a little hard to communicate sometimes—do you know even the dogs & cats here speak more French than i do?! That’s a freaky thing when even the animals know more than you!
i’m having lots of fun though! Everything is an adventure!! Yesterday when we took the Metro (their underground subway system) to the Arc de Triomphe we got lost 4 times but some joyful people helped us out! It was really exciting and the ride is jolly ’cause those Metros really bip & rattle along & there you are standing up with a million other people (except they’re French & that’s even jollier!) holding on to the poles so you don’t fall in all the rattling—it’s really fun!!!
The Arc de Triomphe was neat to see when we finally got there. It had the French tomb to the Unknown Soldier & the eternal flame & it really was kind of neat. Today we saw Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the artist’s section & Saint-Chapel which has some of the most beautiful stain glass windows i’ve ever seen! They go clear to the top & are from about the 13th century! ooh they’re beautiful! Tomorrow we’re going to visit the Louvre most of the day (it’s free on Sundays) & then we’ll have our own church service in the night.
Paris is a joyful place! i’m loving every minute of it— there’s so much to see & do & learn & people are neat wherever you go.
Thank you for the letter, it was jolly to get—especially since i didn’t think you had the address!!!
Dear Dad, Mom, David, and Gunther,
Howdy doody!
Gee, here i am in Paris & i don’t believe it even now! except for it’s a little hard to communicate sometimes—do you know even the dogs & cats here speak more French than i do?! That’s a freaky thing when even the animals know more than you!
i’m having lots of fun though! Everything is an adventure!! Yesterday when we took the Metro (their underground subway system) to the Arc de Triomphe we got lost 4 times but some joyful people helped us out! It was really exciting and the ride is jolly ’cause those Metros really bip & rattle along & there you are standing up with a million other people (except they’re French & that’s even jollier!) holding on to the poles so you don’t fall in all the rattling—it’s really fun!!!
The Arc de Triomphe was neat to see when we finally got there. It had the French tomb to the Unknown Soldier & the eternal flame & it really was kind of neat. Today we saw Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the artist’s section & Saint-Chapel which has some of the most beautiful stain glass windows i’ve ever seen! They go clear to the top & are from about the 13th century! ooh they’re beautiful! Tomorrow we’re going to visit the Louvre most of the day (it’s free on Sundays) & then we’ll have our own church service in the night.
Paris is a joyful place! i’m loving every minute of it— there’s so much to see & do & learn & people are neat wherever you go.
Thank you for the letter, it was jolly to get—especially since i didn’t think you had the address!!!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
53. To President and Sister Johnson
The final paragraphs of my missionary journal were from a letter I wrote in Nampa, Idaho, on Saturday, December 19, 1970, the day I arrived home, to my mission president and his wife, Hal and Virginia Johnson in Rio de Janeiro. I summarized the important things I had gained on my mission.
Dear President and Sister Johnson,
As I consider how a mission has helped me, many thoughts jump immediately into my mind, I would arrange into three areas the qualities I have developed during two years of service to God and man: (1) love and understanding, (2) discipline, and (3) faith.
The first quality, love, is by far the most important thing I have “learned” in Brazil. This gift of charity—or the pure love of Christ—has filled my heart in abundant measure. As I have felt the rich tenor of the Savior’s love manifest in my recent life, I have tasted true joy. In turn, I have tried to spill this touch of heaven into the lives of others. I have diligently sought this gift in prayer and strived daily to be worthy of it. Associated closely with love comes understanding, perhaps just a manifestation of charity, but certainly a necessary ingredient for charity to exist. This loving understanding starts with self and branches out to include beloved fellow workers, the Brazilian people, the gospel, the Lord, and even life itself.
Obedience has been called the first law of heaven. Although love is the fulfilling of the whole law, even love is but obedience to that great commandment given by the Savior that he called “a new commandment.” For this reason is discipline the next valuable lesson I have learned in the mission field. I think by nature I am somewhat lazy, but I have learned how to discipline myself to more effectively accomplish the necessary tasks at hand. Life is but a series of habits—good or bad—that discipline can positively control. Obedience to the gospel is habitual. An honest man finds it difficult to lie because his habit is otherwise. Obedience becomes the best habit to be gained. I have disciplined myself to be obedient. Other fruits of discipline are healthy study habits, developed talents, increased capacities to serve, a new language at ready command.
Finally follows faith. Certainly it is not divorced from the preceding two qualities. As I have expressed on various occasions, my whole life, particularly during the past two years, has been one big miracle. My faith has simplified and grown as the eyes of understanding have opened. Miracles to me are everyday occurrences, the greatest of them all being the change wrought in human lives by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because of this my faith burns stronger. Interestingly, faith is humbling. I now appreciate how much there is yet to learn and to do and to be.
Well, a mission has ended. Many souls have been introduced to the kingdom. My joy will be great with some of these someday. Even now strong cords of love and friendship bind me to many who are beloved in distant Brazil. But this chapter of life is written and ends.
To close this chapter, I remember these words which I penned on a Sunday evening last spring in Ramos:
Break forth! And sing, with anthems raise,
To His great name in holy praise:
Zion’s banners again unfurled
Declare the message to the world—
To every corner, every land,
The gospel’s light shines forth again.
O’er every land shall legates roam;
The long-dispersed shall gather home;
And Israel’s promised rest shall be
When Christ returns in majesty.
To every corner, every land,
The gospel’s light shines forth again.
Have faith, repent, and be baptized,
To gain celestial glories prized.
The path is simple: Christ the guide
Shall lead us to the other side.
To every land, every land,
The gospel’s light shines forth again.
The harvest’s great with laborers few,
And thus the call extends to you
And all whom Zion wish to build:
Stand forth to reap the ready field.
To every corner, every land,
The gospel’s light shines forth again.
Break forth! And shout, all nations rise,
The glorious chant sound to the skies,
While Saints in holy temples sing
Eternal anthems to the King—
To every corner, every land,
The gospel’s light shines forth again.
Dear President and Sister Johnson,
As I consider how a mission has helped me, many thoughts jump immediately into my mind, I would arrange into three areas the qualities I have developed during two years of service to God and man: (1) love and understanding, (2) discipline, and (3) faith.
The first quality, love, is by far the most important thing I have “learned” in Brazil. This gift of charity—or the pure love of Christ—has filled my heart in abundant measure. As I have felt the rich tenor of the Savior’s love manifest in my recent life, I have tasted true joy. In turn, I have tried to spill this touch of heaven into the lives of others. I have diligently sought this gift in prayer and strived daily to be worthy of it. Associated closely with love comes understanding, perhaps just a manifestation of charity, but certainly a necessary ingredient for charity to exist. This loving understanding starts with self and branches out to include beloved fellow workers, the Brazilian people, the gospel, the Lord, and even life itself.
Obedience has been called the first law of heaven. Although love is the fulfilling of the whole law, even love is but obedience to that great commandment given by the Savior that he called “a new commandment.” For this reason is discipline the next valuable lesson I have learned in the mission field. I think by nature I am somewhat lazy, but I have learned how to discipline myself to more effectively accomplish the necessary tasks at hand. Life is but a series of habits—good or bad—that discipline can positively control. Obedience to the gospel is habitual. An honest man finds it difficult to lie because his habit is otherwise. Obedience becomes the best habit to be gained. I have disciplined myself to be obedient. Other fruits of discipline are healthy study habits, developed talents, increased capacities to serve, a new language at ready command.
Finally follows faith. Certainly it is not divorced from the preceding two qualities. As I have expressed on various occasions, my whole life, particularly during the past two years, has been one big miracle. My faith has simplified and grown as the eyes of understanding have opened. Miracles to me are everyday occurrences, the greatest of them all being the change wrought in human lives by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because of this my faith burns stronger. Interestingly, faith is humbling. I now appreciate how much there is yet to learn and to do and to be.
Well, a mission has ended. Many souls have been introduced to the kingdom. My joy will be great with some of these someday. Even now strong cords of love and friendship bind me to many who are beloved in distant Brazil. But this chapter of life is written and ends.
To close this chapter, I remember these words which I penned on a Sunday evening last spring in Ramos:
Break forth! And sing, with anthems raise,
To His great name in holy praise:
Zion’s banners again unfurled
Declare the message to the world—
To every corner, every land,
The gospel’s light shines forth again.
O’er every land shall legates roam;
The long-dispersed shall gather home;
And Israel’s promised rest shall be
When Christ returns in majesty.
To every corner, every land,
The gospel’s light shines forth again.
Have faith, repent, and be baptized,
To gain celestial glories prized.
The path is simple: Christ the guide
Shall lead us to the other side.
To every land, every land,
The gospel’s light shines forth again.
The harvest’s great with laborers few,
And thus the call extends to you
And all whom Zion wish to build:
Stand forth to reap the ready field.
To every corner, every land,
The gospel’s light shines forth again.
Break forth! And shout, all nations rise,
The glorious chant sound to the skies,
While Saints in holy temples sing
Eternal anthems to the King—
To every corner, every land,
The gospel’s light shines forth again.
52. From Jeff Boswell
An excerpt from a letter from Jeff Boswell, written in late November 1970, and recorded in my missionary journal under date of December 2, 1970, with this comment: “He must have sensed from my last letter that leaving Brazil would be difficult for me.”
May your last few weeks be a great moment of spirituality for you and may you be blessed with the awareness of your worth and the fulfilling of your calling—May the Lord bless you with the testimony that you have done what you were sent to do and I have the conviction that you have done, and now you must leave and let others fulfill the purposes for which the Lord has called them and you must go on to other things.
May your last few weeks be a great moment of spirituality for you and may you be blessed with the awareness of your worth and the fulfilling of your calling—May the Lord bless you with the testimony that you have done what you were sent to do and I have the conviction that you have done, and now you must leave and let others fulfill the purposes for which the Lord has called them and you must go on to other things.
51. From Elder Dana Blackham
An excerpt from a letter from Elder Dana Blackham, written in Petrópolis, Brazil, on Monday, November 23, 1970, and recorded in my missionary journal under date of Friday, November 27, just a few weeks before the end of my mission.
Well, comp, it looks like your time is drawing near. I still remember you in my prayers. Of course my memory is also full of you and Maceió. I think that without Maceió my mission would have been missing a heck of a lot. That is, it would have lacked its highlight. As you called it, a zenith of loving.
Yes, comp, Maceió was a beautiful experience for me. I rejoice in our relationship for I know that we surely are eternal friends. This is a link that few achieve because it is a very special type of relation. I think our friendship revolves around two things: testimony and the pure love of Christ. Thus being, it enabled us to strive for a higher spiritual plane. Through this striving we did truly elevate ourselves and we enjoyed the fruits of a higher sensitivity to the promptings of the Holy Ghost. I’m sure that our goal to remember the Savior was a prime factor in our success in achieving a greater companionship of the Holy Ghost.
Well, comp, it looks like your time is drawing near. I still remember you in my prayers. Of course my memory is also full of you and Maceió. I think that without Maceió my mission would have been missing a heck of a lot. That is, it would have lacked its highlight. As you called it, a zenith of loving.
Yes, comp, Maceió was a beautiful experience for me. I rejoice in our relationship for I know that we surely are eternal friends. This is a link that few achieve because it is a very special type of relation. I think our friendship revolves around two things: testimony and the pure love of Christ. Thus being, it enabled us to strive for a higher spiritual plane. Through this striving we did truly elevate ourselves and we enjoyed the fruits of a higher sensitivity to the promptings of the Holy Ghost. I’m sure that our goal to remember the Savior was a prime factor in our success in achieving a greater companionship of the Holy Ghost.
50. From Elder Dana Blackham
Excerpts from a letter recorded in my missionary journal under date of Thursday, November 5, 1970, from my former companion, Dana Blackham, who had been transferred again from Rio de Janeiro to Petrópolis, the first city I labored in at the beginning of my mission.
Well (hole in the ground), I’ve been in Petrópolis a week tomorrow. I’m really beginning to like it. My companion is Elder Butler. He is a real fine man. I’m coming to love him already. I’m trying as hard as I can to make our relationship “vibrar.” As I told you once, the heights we reached as comps now remains with me as a goal to strive for with each companion I have.
You know, comp, I’ve still got great saudades of Maceió. I hope and pray for your success with the branch up there. . . . I miss you and your companionship. We surely enjoy a fine relationship as elders and brothers. My love for you has grown greatly since I’ve left Maceió. As you, I realize that my leaving was necessary for me to truly appreciate all of the blessings which I received while I was in Maceió. I loved my stay there and thank my Heavenly Father for having given me that privilege.
Well (hole in the ground), I’ve been in Petrópolis a week tomorrow. I’m really beginning to like it. My companion is Elder Butler. He is a real fine man. I’m coming to love him already. I’m trying as hard as I can to make our relationship “vibrar.” As I told you once, the heights we reached as comps now remains with me as a goal to strive for with each companion I have.
You know, comp, I’ve still got great saudades of Maceió. I hope and pray for your success with the branch up there. . . . I miss you and your companionship. We surely enjoy a fine relationship as elders and brothers. My love for you has grown greatly since I’ve left Maceió. As you, I realize that my leaving was necessary for me to truly appreciate all of the blessings which I received while I was in Maceió. I loved my stay there and thank my Heavenly Father for having given me that privilege.
49. From Claudia to Her Parents
Excerpts from a letter written in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday, November 3, 1970, from Claudia Lange to her parents, J. Marvin and Barbara Lange, and her brother, David, in San Gabriel, California. She mentions seeing the Prophet of God, President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876-1972).
i think that was one of the most special Sundays i’ve ever had—it was truly joyful and i could feel a strong spirit there. Relief Society was really neat that morning, with an excellent spiritual lesson and thy my Sunday School class was good too—i have an excellent teacher—he teaches kind of unconventionally by making you find your own answers, you really have to think, he doesn’t feed it to you—he’s kind of scary but that’s what i need! Then i bore my testimony in fast and testimony meeting. That whole morning was just really special and meaningful to me—the lessons were great and what i really needed. It was a beautiful day too—like the kind in heaven might be like.
But the afternoon was the neatest part of the whole day! They had the 10-stake fireside in the Fieldhouse and Sister Jessie Evans Smith spoke. The Prophet accompanied her and that’s an experience i’ll never forget!
The fireside didn’t start until 4:00 p.m. but they opened the doors at 2:00 p.m. We got there at 2:15 (we went as a family) and so we got pretty good seats—you should have seen all the people! By 3:30 it was filled to capacity and people were standing in the back and in the aisles, everywhere! But it was worth it—we spent some of the time singing, the whole auditorium was singing hymns and then when the Prophet came in we all rose and sang “We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet.” i really can’t explain it—but it felt so good and i really could feel a spirit there—i have never sung that song with a real live prophet there—it was neat and i really knew he was a prophet! We sang all the verses after the benediction and i could hardly sing it.
Sister Smith is really a good speaker and she’s so cute and dear. She said a lot of important stuff and you could tell just how special her relationship with the Prophet is. i hope i can have that kind of love and liveliness when i’m 80 or 90! That’s the kind that lasts an eternity!! and they’re so cute and funny together— like they were just a couple of teenagers—only with a lot more wisdom.
Sister Smith sang a song for us and then she and the Prophet sang a duet—it was so joyful!!! It was just the neatest fireside ever—and so special! When they left, Sister Smith blew kisses and the President waved—i waved right back!
i think that was one of the most special Sundays i’ve ever had—it was truly joyful and i could feel a strong spirit there. Relief Society was really neat that morning, with an excellent spiritual lesson and thy my Sunday School class was good too—i have an excellent teacher—he teaches kind of unconventionally by making you find your own answers, you really have to think, he doesn’t feed it to you—he’s kind of scary but that’s what i need! Then i bore my testimony in fast and testimony meeting. That whole morning was just really special and meaningful to me—the lessons were great and what i really needed. It was a beautiful day too—like the kind in heaven might be like.
But the afternoon was the neatest part of the whole day! They had the 10-stake fireside in the Fieldhouse and Sister Jessie Evans Smith spoke. The Prophet accompanied her and that’s an experience i’ll never forget!
The fireside didn’t start until 4:00 p.m. but they opened the doors at 2:00 p.m. We got there at 2:15 (we went as a family) and so we got pretty good seats—you should have seen all the people! By 3:30 it was filled to capacity and people were standing in the back and in the aisles, everywhere! But it was worth it—we spent some of the time singing, the whole auditorium was singing hymns and then when the Prophet came in we all rose and sang “We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet.” i really can’t explain it—but it felt so good and i really could feel a spirit there—i have never sung that song with a real live prophet there—it was neat and i really knew he was a prophet! We sang all the verses after the benediction and i could hardly sing it.Sister Smith is really a good speaker and she’s so cute and dear. She said a lot of important stuff and you could tell just how special her relationship with the Prophet is. i hope i can have that kind of love and liveliness when i’m 80 or 90! That’s the kind that lasts an eternity!! and they’re so cute and funny together— like they were just a couple of teenagers—only with a lot more wisdom.
Sister Smith sang a song for us and then she and the Prophet sang a duet—it was so joyful!!! It was just the neatest fireside ever—and so special! When they left, Sister Smith blew kisses and the President waved—i waved right back!
48. From President Hal R. Johnson
A note from my mission president, Hal R. Johnson, written in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, November 2, 1970, and recorded in my missionary journal on Thursday, November 5. The letter had arrived the day before. After quoting the letter in my journal, I made the following observation: “Sunday I plan to read President Johnson’s letter to the members to let them know just how things stand and to give them the opportunity to redeem themselves. The President’s comments were not surprising. I could feel it coming. When sent here seven months ago, he told me that he was most concerned about the branch. He gave us the OK to just work on the members as a big last chance, but I guess he has seen no fruits.”
Just between you and me, I’m not at all sure about the future of the Maceió Branch. For many years the branch has gone along at about the same level of activity. Your administration as branch president has seen more activity than at any other time I can remember. This is a tribute, of course, to your leadership, and may or may not be indicative of the future, but unless the branch members themselves indicate by their help in the missionary work their whole-hearted assumption of responsibilities and tolerance, love, and forgiveness of and for one another, I feel I will eventually close down that branch, particularly when the present contract expires. We cannot continue just maintaining; we must continue to grow, and there are too many places to put missionaries where the work could boom. I would appreciate your comments along these lines. Please bear in mind that our work is proselyting and that members are expected to be desirous of and capable of maintaining their own part of the kingdom of our Heavenly Father.
Just between you and me, I’m not at all sure about the future of the Maceió Branch. For many years the branch has gone along at about the same level of activity. Your administration as branch president has seen more activity than at any other time I can remember. This is a tribute, of course, to your leadership, and may or may not be indicative of the future, but unless the branch members themselves indicate by their help in the missionary work their whole-hearted assumption of responsibilities and tolerance, love, and forgiveness of and for one another, I feel I will eventually close down that branch, particularly when the present contract expires. We cannot continue just maintaining; we must continue to grow, and there are too many places to put missionaries where the work could boom. I would appreciate your comments along these lines. Please bear in mind that our work is proselyting and that members are expected to be desirous of and capable of maintaining their own part of the kingdom of our Heavenly Father.
47. From Claudia to Her Parents
An excerpt from a letter written in Provo, Utah, on Wednesday, 28 October 1970, from Claudia Lange to her parents, J. Marvin and Barbara Lange, in San Gabriel, California. Claudia at this time was a sophomore at Brigham Young University majoring in elementary education. The following semester she spent studying abroad in Salzburg, Austria. As intimated in this excerpt, she later interned as a second grade teacher at Grant Elementary School in Springville, Utah, during the 1972–73 school year.
i’ve figured out what i’m going to do instead of student teaching—they offer an internship program in place of student teaching. That’s where you actually teach for a full year on your own but under close supervision. i think that’s the best plan—they pay you for that time too instead of you paying tuition to student teach! And when you apply for a job you can say you’ve had one year’s teaching experience—which HELPS! And you start on a higher pay scale! That would mean i wouldn’t graduate until the summer after i’m a senior but i think the money and experience would be worth it. It also means i’ll be on this love-sick campus in the spring next year—but i’m tough! i think i can make it—besides it’s a good test. Hey, i just had another neat thought—that means i can work the summer after this one, too, to help pay off Salzburg! . . . i really think this is the best plan. i talked to one of the ladies in the ward and that’s what she did. Also, there’s the possibility i could teach in Provo.
i’ve figured out what i’m going to do instead of student teaching—they offer an internship program in place of student teaching. That’s where you actually teach for a full year on your own but under close supervision. i think that’s the best plan—they pay you for that time too instead of you paying tuition to student teach! And when you apply for a job you can say you’ve had one year’s teaching experience—which HELPS! And you start on a higher pay scale! That would mean i wouldn’t graduate until the summer after i’m a senior but i think the money and experience would be worth it. It also means i’ll be on this love-sick campus in the spring next year—but i’m tough! i think i can make it—besides it’s a good test. Hey, i just had another neat thought—that means i can work the summer after this one, too, to help pay off Salzburg! . . . i really think this is the best plan. i talked to one of the ladies in the ward and that’s what she did. Also, there’s the possibility i could teach in Provo.
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