Russell and Eileen's Church Missions: FINDING MY ROOTS, HAVING FUN WITH THE REFUGEES

"Every Monday morning the Area Office employees and missionaries meet together for a devotional. About once a quarter we have a member of the Area Presidency speak to us. These meetings seem a great way to start the week and give us greater insight into the individual presenting the devotional. Last Monday (August 22), I (Eileen), was asked to give the devotional. I have attached my talk below.

The Europe Area Presidency has listed three goals which they would like us to focus on: 1) Bring a friend (to church), 2) Become spiritually and temporally self-reliant, and 3) Find an ancestor (genealogy). On the back side of the card (see picture below) listing the three goals there is a section relating to the third goal. It contains a box to check when you have completed the “My Family Booklet.” There is both a printed version of this booklet and an electronic version which can be completed online. Within this booklet we can list our ancestors and also note whether or not their temple work has been done. There is also a section to write stories and memories about ourselves and also our ancestors. I would like to share a few recent experiences I have had associated with my family history efforts.

Prior to this mission we were full-time missionaries serving in the Missionary Department at the Church Office Building. We were part of the Family and Church History Headquarters Mission. This was a little awkward for us as neither Elder Healy nor I had done much in the way of family history work. We were part of a missionary branch where there were 275 missionaries, most of whom served in some genealogy or family history capacity. We frequently heard talks on family history and I even joined the family history Sunday school class. Every Tuesday, members from our ward would attend the Salt Lake Temple, where ordinances were performed for deceased ancestors. We frequently joined this group, however we never brought any family names of our own.

With time the Spirit of Elijah started to take hold in my heart. I was able to search out ancestors on Family Search, (a church sponsored web-site for genealogy and family history work). I helped my father attach a brief life sketch online for both of his parents. I uploaded many photos of my ancestors to Family Search. Most of my Saturdays were spent helping my parents with their personal histories.

When I moved to Germany I was concerned that any further efforts to search out my ancestors would be curtailed. Shortly after moving here I had the opportunity to go to the Swiss Temple. When my father heard that I was going to Switzerland he suggested that if I had time, I might want to try and find his childhood home. After our visit to the temple, on my Father’s 92^nd birthday we drove to Basel, Switzerland and located the street where he had lived as a toddler, while his father presided over the Swiss German mission. It was a very special experience to be able to walk the same streets which my father and grandparents had walked 90 years ago.

Over the last 2 months I have been able to help with the editing of my parent’s and grandparent’s history. I never knew either one of my Grandfathers personally as both passed away before I was born. By reading their histories I have felt a closeness to them.

As I read the histories of my paternal grandparents the memories and testimonies seemed particularly applicable to me at this time. I don’t think they would ever imagine how important those stories would be to one of their descendants, a future senior missionary serving in Germany. I have been inspired by reading their memoirs. Their challenges while serving the Lord make mine seem rather trivial.

My grandfather Hugh J. Cannon served three missions in Germany. His first mission started in 1891. During the course of this mission his brother who was serving as a missionary in Berlin passed away. His brother, David Cannon was one of 21 missionaries who died while serving in Germany during the early years of the church. My grandfather collected the necessary documents and accompanied the body of his brother back home.

In 1901 my grandfather returned to Germany to serve as the mission president. Elder Francis Lyman authorized the printing of the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants in German, and he gave my grandfather charge of the translation and printing. My Grandfather mentioned what a great responsibility Elder Lyman had given him and how he hoped to be able to live up to the task.

There was much opposition in Germany to the work, and missionaries at different times were imprisoned or banished. The complaints were not that the missionaries had broken the law, but merely that they were "Mormons" and undesirable and that they could not remain in Prussia. A Book of Mormon was sent to the Kaiser, along with a letter asking for leniency. It was returned. On Saturday, June 6, 1903, all those who were working for the mission office were ordered to appear at the police station, where they were handed their banishment papers.

My grandfather’s first wife passed away in 1914 and he married my grandmother, Sarah Ellen Richards, in 1917. In 1925 my grandfather was asked to serve again as mission president, this time he would preside over the Swiss-German mission. He took 5 children with him, the youngest of which was my father. Two of the children were from his prior marriage.

My grandfather would later write: "We have virtually lost our home since coming over here. We are poor. But what family of even rich people has the opportunities which are ours. We have a beautiful and comfortable home here, more convenient and comfortable even than the one we left. The entire family is acquiring a practical and fluent knowledge of the German language.”

From my grandmother’s journal we read, "The German language was hard for me, and I had few opportunities to speak German at first. At Chemnitz, Germany, August 23, 1925, I spoke in meeting with an interpreter. While attending one of the meetings, I think I experienced the gift of tongues. I realized that I was understanding practically all of what was being said by trying to grasp the meaning without interpreting word for word. In October, I spoke in German for the first time in a meeting."

It will be 91 years tomorrow since my grandmother experienced the gift of tongues in Germany. I am hopeful that perhaps at some point I might also be given the blessing of understanding the German language.

When my grandparents returned home from Europe they found that their renters had not taken care of their home and it was ruined. Three years after their return my grandfather died. My grandmother was left a widow at the young age of 42 with 5 young children to care for. She lived as a widow for another 57 years.

Her journal reads “I felt that the bottom had dropped out of everything and that life was not worth the living. As I feared before my marriage, widowhood had come to me early -- only fourteen years of married happiness. But those few years of companionship and love, although hard at times, were so wonderful that I tremble to think of what I would have missed if I had not had the courage to take that important step. What would life be worth now without my dear and thoughtful children and my anticipation of an eternity with them and such a wonderful husband?"

I have cherished reading the words from my grandparent’s journals. President Spencer W. Kimball said, “I urge all the people of this church to give serious attention to their family histories, to encourage their parents and grandparents to write their journals, and let no family go into eternity without having left their memoirs for their children, their grandchildren, and their posterity. This is a duty and a responsibility. ... Those who keep a book of remembrance are more likely to keep the Lord in remembrance in their daily lives. Journals are a way of counting our blessings and of leaving an inventory of these blessings for our posterity.” (General Conference. April 1978)

I am grateful for the Area Presidency’s reminder of the things I should be focused on in addition to my missionary responsibilities. Last week I found some family names to take to the temple. We just returned last evening from our trip to the Hague Temple. This was the first time I have ever done ordinance work for a family member. It was an incredible experience to be baptized, do sealings and other ordinance work for my grandmother’s cousins. Temple work has never been so meaningful to me."

My father is the baby, sitting on my grandmother's lap.

My grandfather and three of his children

I have been unable to visit the refugee camp recently due to our busy schedule. Several of the senior missionaries have spent time there creating a lounge area for the adult members of the refugee camp to relax in. The missionaries brought sewing machines and helped the refugee women make the cushions. I am impressed at the effort which was put forth into making this lounge a pleasant gathering place for the residents of the camp.

This past Tuesday I spent several hours at the refugee camp. When the missionaries visit the camp we do not dress in missionary clothes or have missionary tags on. We are attending hoping to bring some happiness and joy to the refugees lives. We bring a variety of items to play with and let the children decide which activities they would like to participate in. The smaller children seem to especially love playing with the playdough. Several children and even one of the fathers used marking pens to color a mandala. I have not ever seen a mandala before. It is a form of art with intricate designs that can be colored in. It is quite often used as art therapy to help heal the soul. Someone had brought craft items consisting of construction paper, sequins, and feathers. A 10 year old girl in the camp decided she would like to make a decorated mask. Several other children followed suit. I enjoyed helping them make their masks.