1946 (Sunday) – Attended Sunday School, Brother Mortensen’s class, and afterwards, the Genealogical Society Meeting. They announced the pageant given last spring “Remember the Day” is to be presented on the 13th and 14th of November. I hope it will be another success.
In the evening, attend Sacrament Meeting where a Brother White, secretary of the Seventies Quorum, was to be the speaker. Just before services commenced, President George Albert Smith came quietly into the Church, all dressed in white, with his white hair, he looked so nice, and he always looks so very happy when he comes to the Seventeenth Ward as it is his old ward. He was accompanied by another Brother.
Brother White spoke for only a few minutes, telling of the Savior, who while on the Earth, before his time of departure bestowed upon Peter, James and John the keys of the Priesthood and the power to officiate in his stead. Told how they appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdry and restored to Earth through them the keys which they held and how the keys gives to Joseph Smith were bestowed on Brigham Young and from him on the head of each President of the Church down to Brother George Albert Smith, who was there present with us. He turned the rest of the time over to President Smith.
President Smith said that whenever he came to the 17th Ward, memories came crowding in on his mind. He mentioned the names of the different Bishops who had lived in the ward and officiated there during his childhood and up to his early manhood, told how sometimes while Sunday School was going on, a few of the boys would be riding on sleighs down the hill instead of being in Church, told what a noisy group of boys there were who attended Sunday School and finally the Superintendent formed a class of those boys from all the classes and had them for a class by themselves and took Brother Smith and Brother Martin as the teachers. How they worked with those boys to make them the best class in Sunday School. There was a contest going to see which class was the quietest and the best attended, a prize was to be given.
Brother Smith said they had some monitors appointed in their class to see that the boys were there and on time, and if they failed to be there, they went after them. If they found them in bed, they got them up and quickly dressed them and brought them there. Perhaps they were not too gentle in doing it but anyway they did not want it to be repeated, so came regularly to their class. Their class won the prize.
He said every blessing we receive is predicated on law, a law irrevocably decreed in the Heavens before this Earth was formed. If we keep the law, we will receive the blessing but if we fail to keep the law, we will not receive the blessing. We have to prepare ourselves to live in the Celestial Kingdom if we desire to go there.
Of course, if we would rather live in the Terrestrial or Telestial Kingdoms, that’s alright, we don’t have to live the celestial laws, but the Celestial Kingdom is where God the Eternal Father and his son Jesus Christ will live.
He showed us pretty plain that it is up to us what kingdom we will inherit. He spoke so calm and kind, there was a lovely spirit present and I think we all felt it had been good to be there. You could see that he too felt the same way.
While leaving the meeting, I saw Sister Nicholas G. Smith and shook her hand. Oh, it was good to see her, I just love her.
Loony Lunts and Company 