“One of the bishop’s duties was to send to every serviceman
a subscription to the Church News and
to the Improvement Era and to write a
personal letter to him each month. Since President Monson had served in the
navy in World War II, he appreciated the importance of a letter from home. He
had 23 ward members serving in the military, so he called a sister in the ward
to handle the details of mailing these letters. One evening he handed her the
monthly stack of 23 letters.
“Bishop, don’t you ever get discouraged?” she asked. “Here
is another letter to Brother Bryson. This is the 17th letter you have sent to
him without a reply.”
“Well, maybe this will be the month,” he said. It was. The
reply from Brother Bryson read: “Dear Bishop, I ain’t much at writin’ letters.
Thank you for the Church News and magazines, but most of all thank you for the
personal letters. I have turned over a new leaf. I have been ordained a priest
in the Aaronic Priesthood. My heart is full. I am a happy man.”
President Monson saw in that letter the practical
application of the adage “Do you duty, that is best. Leave unto the Lord the
rest.”
Thomas S. Monson, “The Call of Duty,” Ensign, May 1986, 39.
No comments:
Post a Comment