Tuesday, April 5, 2011

42o The Third Post in a Series of 3 Posts Regarding the Indian Student Placement Program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post!

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TODAY'S THEME



Mormon Abridging the Plates -by Tom Lovell

Book of Mormon, 2Ne. 30:3 And now, I (Nephi, son of Lehi)  would prophesy somewhat more concerning the Jews and the Gentiles. For after the book of which I have spoken (The Book of Mormon) shall come forth, and be written unto the Gentiles, and sealed up again unto the Lord, there shall be many which shall believe the words which are written; and they shall carry them forth unto the remnant of our seed (The Indians in all of the Americas - Today's Lamanites)
4 And then shall the remnant of our seed know concerning us, how that we came out from Jerusalem, and that they are descendants of the Jews.
5 And the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be declared among them; wherefore, they (the Lamanites of our day) shall be restored unto the knowledge of their fathers, and also to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, which was had among their fathers.

6 And then shall they rejoice; for they shall know that it is a blessing unto them from the hand of God; and their scales of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a pure and a delightsome people. (Written between 559 and 545 B.C.) (clarification and emphasis added)
In my just previous blog post, 42n, you were provided examples of the "blossoming as the rose" of a number of American Indians (Lamanites) who were privileged to be a part of the Indian Student Placement Program (Service) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Now you are given the opportunity of perusing the following study of the ISPP done by qualified professionals named just below the study's title.

I, Neil Birch, after consulting with a former Indian Student Placement Program colleague of mine, Dale Shumway, have highlighted portions of the study which we felt to be the points that perhaps should be emphasized in it. We accept the entire study as one that was done very well. Nonetheless, highlighting that which we consider to be the key parts of the study will allow you to read through it more easily and rapidly.  We advise you to view and study each table provided as they are a significant part of this study. Of course, if you choose to do so, please read everything in the study and ignore our highlighting. Please remember that the highlighted emphasis is not an actual part of this study!


Evaluation of an Indian Student
Placement Program

Bruce A. Chadwick, Stan L. Albrecht, and Howard M. Bahr

An evaluation of an Indian student placement program revealed that the educational attainment of participants was significantly higher than that of nonparticipants. Little difference was observed in social behavior. Participation was associated with assimilation into white society.

Bruce A. Chadwick is Professor of Sociology; Stan L. Albrecht is Dean, Home and Social Sciences; and Howard M. Bahr is Professor of Sociology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. The authors wish to thank the Indian Student Placement Services for access to records and assistance in locating former participants. This study was funded by the Presiding Bishopric’s Office, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Social Casework: The Journal of Contemporary Social Work © 1986 Family Service America

The Indian Student Placement Service (ISPS) program, sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), was initiated in the fall of 1947 when a sixteen-year-old Navajo girl asked a LDS family if she could live with them so that she could attend the local high school. Because a substantial number of Indian families came forward with similar requests during the next few years, ISPS , a licensed child-placement agency, was organized in 1954. Enrollment in the program peaked in 1970 at 4,977 Indian youth and has decreased to approximately 2,500 students as educational opportunities on reservations have improved.

The program places only LDS Indian children with LDS families who have children of a similar age. The child lives with the foster family during the nine-month school year and returns to his or her natural family on the reservation for the summer. Generally, this cycle is repeated with the same foster family until the student graduates from high school. Foster parents receive no financial remuneration and in addition to assume shelter, food, clothing, school, recreational, and medical expenses for the youth.

The program has been the recipient of both bold praise and vociferous criticism. Many Indian parents contend that their children profited from the placement experience and participants frequently echo this support.[1] Several studies have discovered that Indian students on placement have done reasonably well in both high school and college.[2] Not surprisingly, problems in adjustment have also been noted.[3] To summarize the results of these studies, ISPS somewhat improved the grade point averages, achievement test scores, and years of educational attainment of participants. That there were problems of adjustment by both the Indian student and the foster family should be no surprise. It was expected that a reasonable adjustment would be worked out during the first year. However, possible long-range psychological dangers for the students may exist.[4] Unfortunately, the focus of these studies is limited, the methodologies inadequate, the samples small, and the generalizability of the findings ambiguous, at best.

Given the limited empirical data concerning the outcomes of this large, ongoing foster placement program, we conducted an evaluation of both the short- and long-term consequences. Our objective was to determine the economic, social, and psychological effects on participants, natural families, and foster families who participated in the program.

Methods

Because nearly 80 percent of the ISPS participants had come from reservations in the four-corner area of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, the study was limited to this area. The Navajo, Southern Ute, Unitah-Ouray, Hopi, Zuni, Fort Apache, and San Carlos Apache reservations were included in the study. The area limitation made the study much more manageable in terms of time and cost.

A sample of 249 current and former participants was selected from ISPS records. This sample consisted of fifty randomly selected participants who had entered the program at the following five-year intervals: 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975, and 1980. However, because of the small number of participants during the early years of the program, only twenty-six were selected for 1960. To increase the number of older participants in the sample, an additional twenty-five participants who had entered in 1970 were included. Also, the random selection procedures produced only forty-eight participants, rather than 50, in 1975.

Twenty-one bilingual Indian interviewers, nineteen Navajo, one Hopi, and one Zuni, were recruited and trained. Each worked with members of his or her tribe. Many of the interviews with natural parents were conducted in a native language. Church social service caseworkers interviewed respondents living in Snowflake, Phoenix, and Tucson, Arizona. The LDS social workers assigned to the Fort Apache and San Carlos Apache reservations interviewed on their respective reservations. A public school official interviewed on the Unitah-Ouray Reservation and a graduate student at Brigham Young University contacted respondents living in central and northern Utah. These non-Indian interviewers accounted for only a small fraction of the interviews completed. More than 90 percent of the interviews were completed by the Indian interviewers.

Interviewing commenced in September 1981 and was concluded in early December. Interviewers called on respondents at least five times, at different times of the day and evening and on different days of the week. At least one callback was made on a weekend. Respondents were paid a five-dollar honorarium for their time.

The sample was reduced from 249 to 238 because three respondents had been killed in traffic accidents, five were overseas in the military, and three were out of the country serving as missionaries for the LDS Church. Sixty-seven percent (160) of the respondents were interviewed. Nearly 25 percent of these were living off the reservation. The interview was mailed to those who resided in distant states; they were given twenty-five dollars if they returned it. Five completed interviews were obtained this way. Only 7 percent (17) of the sample refused. The remaining 26 percent (61) could not be located, despite considerable effort. The 67-percent response rate is remarkable in that many of the participants had terminated involvement in the program as long as twenty years previously and most lived a rather nomadic life-style.

It was difficult to identify an appropriate control group. After reviewing several alternatives, we decided to ask each participant to name a friend of the same sex who had not gone on placement, our reasoning being that such friends would have had backgrounds similar to those of the ISPS participants. We did not ask the younger students who were still on placement to name a friend, because we wanted a control group to match those who had finished their education, selected their life work, and started a family. The older participants named 141 individuals. Sixty percent (85) were interviewed, 2 percent (3) refused, and 38 percent (54) could not be found. Sixty percent is a reasonable completion rate in that we were seeking individuals who, in many cases, had not been seen for years and for whom we had only vague addresses.

The natural parents were also interviewed. The 249 couples from the sample were reduced by death to 219. We interviewed at least one parent in 69 percent (151) of these families and both parents in 18 percent (39), thus giving us a total of 190 natural-parent interviews. In two percent (4) of the families, both parents refused to be interviewed; 29 percent (64) could not be located.

Data were obtained from the foster parents via a mail survey. Three follow-up mailings were sent over a three-month period. Incorrect addresses and deaths reduced the sample from 249 to 200. At least one questionnaire was obtained from 76 percent (152) of the foster families. Three percent (6) refused and 21 percent (42) failed to return the questionnaire.

Foster parents were asked to identify natural children who had lived at home during the Indian student’s tenure. They responded with the names and addresses of 119 former foster siblings. These foster brothers and sisters were surveyed using the same procedures as those used with their parents. Four siblings were removed from the sample, because the addresses were incorrect. Of the remaining 115, 71 percent (82) responded, 1 percent (1) refused, and 28 percent (32) failed to return the questionnaire.

Results

Consequences for Participants
Educational attainment. The goal – that participants return to the foster family each year until they graduate from high school—occurred for about one-third of the students. In 40 percent of the cases the student made the decision to drop out, usually because of illness at home (see Table 1). Fifteen percent dropped out at the request of the Indian family, usually because of the illness of a parent who required help at home. Eight percent of the students were sent home or not invited back the next year; approximately 50 percent of these terminations were due to changes in the foster family’s circumstances and the other 50 percent due to conflict between the participant and foster family members. Two percent dropped out because of unusual events such as serious illness.

Federal vocational training programs, such as Job Corps, Manpower Training, and the BIA-sponsored Adult Vocational Training Program, have much more modest goals – usually less than one year of training – than does ISPS, and their reported completion rates are between 40 and 70 percent.[5] Participation in the ISPS program for up to ten years, culminating in high school graduation by a third of the students, is quite remarkable in comparison.



A related but somewhat independent goal of ISPS is to help Indian young people achieve at least a high school education and additional training if possible. The sample of participants ranged in age from nine to thirty-one years and the control sample from eighteen to thirty-four years. To distinguish short-term from long-term consequences, each sample was divided into two age categories: eighteen to twenty-four years and twenty-five to thirty-four years. The participants younger than eighteen years are not discussed in the present analysis.

The educational achievement of participants and controls is presented in Table 2. The participants were much better educated. The gap in education was larger among the older respondents. The difference in post-high school training between the older study and control groups was also substantial; more than 50 percent of the older participants had at least one year of college training, compared with only 20 percent of the control population.

We asked both participants and controls about their grades while in high, school; program participants reported significantly higher performance. We attempted to verify this self-reported advantage by obtaining official grade point averages (GPA) from the appropriate high schools. Seventy-five percent (76) of the participants and 61 percent (51) of the controls identified the high schools they had attended. The fifty-nine schools, which were located in six states, were requested by mail to send the cumulative GPA of the respondents. GPAs were received for 47 percent of the former students. The average GPA of participants was 2.48 on a 4.00 scale. The participants had a C+ or B- average. The controls had a 1.96 GPA or slightly below a C; even with the small sample, the difference is statistically significant. All things considered, the results show that ISPS increased the amount and quality of education among participants.

Economic Achievement. Several Indicators of economic achievement are presented in Tables 3 and 4. As shown in Table 3, more participants than controls reported that they were working, although the difference is not statistically significant. Family, private, church, tribal, or government assistance is another measure of economic self-sufficiency. The only statistically significant difference between the two groups was that participants were less likely to report help from parents than were controls. Also, a bank account is an indicator of economic adjustment in the main stream of society. A higher percentage of participants had bank accounts than did controls; for women the difference was significant.


Additional employment characteristics of the two groups are compared in Table 4. Placement participants were employed in significantly higher status occupations than were controls; 29 percent of the ISPS participants were in professional or managerial jobs, compared with only 5 percent of the controls. Type of employment, occupational prestige, and income generally favored ISPS participants, although the differences were not statistically significant.


The data do not provide unequivocal support for the long-range economic success of ISPS participants. We concluded that in some respects participation in the placement program enhanced the respondents' economic status and in other respects it did not. However, none of the economic indicators showed that the participants were worse off than the controls.

Social adjustment. We assumed that exposing participants to strong foster families would increase their family living skills, which in turn would increase the stability of their own marriages. We also assumed that the program would-teach students how to function more effectively in contemporary society. To test these notions, the interview included items on marital stability and social affiliation and adjustment.

One measure of marital stability is the percentage of respondents who had been divorced. Results showed that 4 percent more participants than controls had been divorced; however, the difference is not statistically significant. Respondents were asked two marital satisfaction questions: "Everything considered how happy is your marriage?" and "Compared to the marriages of your friends, how happy is your marriage?" The difference between the participants and controls is small and insignificant. Thus, contrary to expectations, the marriages of ISPS participants were neither more nor less stable or happy than those of controls.

Social participation, as indicated by involvement with friends and neighbors and the number of close friends, was higher among participants than it was among controls (see Table 5). Results on affiliation with organizations and voting were mixed. Most members of both groups, approximately 80 percent, maintained few organizational ties. Participants belonged to more clubs and lodges, and service, school, tribal, and Indian organizations than did controls, but the difference was not significant. Among the young adults, a few more participants than controls had voted in the 19S0 presidential election, but the two groups had identical rates of voting in the most recent tribal election. Among the older respondents, the controls had a much higher rate of voting, especially in tribal elections; the voting rate provided the only statistically significant difference between the two groups.



A population's arrest rate is another indicator of social adjustment. Presumably, people who are arrested more often have difficulty fitting into their social milieu. The difference in arrest rates between participants and controls in both age groups was not statistically significant but was large enough to suggest that participants had more difficulty with the police. A possible explanation for the unexpected arrest rate among participants is that they had spent more time off the reservation and were therefore at higher risk. Only 21 percent of the participants had lived on the reservation continually since their ISPS experience, compared with 65 percent of the controls who had lived there since high school. We suspect that the increased contact with police incurred by participants who live in urban areas partially accounts for their higher arrest rate. Thus, there were no social-adjustment benefits from placement experience. Very few significant differences in social adjustment appeared and approximately 50 percent of those that did occur favored controls rather than participants.

Psychological Adjustment. General happiness is a common indicator of psychological adjustment (see Table 6). For the young adults, the difference between participants and controls was quite striking; the participants were significantly happier. However, for the older respondents, the difference between participants and controls was not significant. Unfortunately, the data were not designed to answer why the advantage in morale among young adult participants was lost as they grew older.


Ethnic identity is another measure of psychological adjustment relevant to this, population. As mentioned earlier, critics of ISPS have accused the program of confusing participants about their Indian identity. In fact, participants were more likely than controls to consider themselves "partly white" (Table 7). The difference was significant. Seven percent of the participants reported that they felt "mostly" or "totally" 'white, whereas none of the controls felt this way. At the other end of the continuum, controls were twice as likely as participants to describe themselves as “totally” Indian.


There were also significant differences between participants and controls in their feelings about "fitting in" to Indian society. Although nine of ten respondents in both groups said they fit in "pretty well" or "completely" with most Indians, feeling that they "completely" fit in was expressed significantly more often by the controls. Finally, although the samples differ in their "feeling white" and "fitting in" to Indian society, they expressed similar feelings on their ability to function in white society. Eighty-five percent of the participants and 80 percent of the controls said that they fit "completely" or "pretty well” into white society.

As a consequence of the ISPS experience, participants viewed themselves as reasonably competent in both worlds but totally belonging to neither. Thus they expressed the fate of the marginal person with one foot in one culture and the other foot in another culture. Although fitting in fairly well in two societies has its advantages, belonging completely to neither has its psychological costs.

A final measure of the placement experience's impact on ethnic identity was the respondents' perceptions on how participation had altered their feelings about their Indian heritage. Two-thirds of the participants replied that participation had made them feel closer to their Indian heritage, and only 14 percent felt that it had reduced their attachment to it. To summarize, the data on psychological and ethnic adjustment revealed that young participants were happier than the older participants. However, the ISPS experience added a stronger identification with white society and left participants straddling two cultures. The results did not indicate that program participation caused a significant decline in participants' identification with their Indian heritage.

Consequences for Natural Families

Obviously, the decision to enroll a child in ISPS entailed significant costs for the parents, requiring that they send their child to live with strangers in a different culture for nine months each year. Table 8 summarizes the reasons natural parents enrolled their children in the program. The parents' most frequent answer was that they expected the ISPS experience to provide their children with a better education than they could get at home. The second most frequent answer was that placement provided religious training for the child. As mentioned earlier, all the children and the majority of parents were members of the LDS church, and thus it is understandable that 19 percent valued the religious experience. Several other reasons, such as new experiences, learning white ways, better living conditions, escape from a bad environment, problems at home and peer pressure, were noted by 3 percent to 5 percent of the parents. Overall, parents said that they sent their children on placement because the experience would improve their children's chances for a better life.



Parents were also asked to identify the positive impacts of the program on their family (Table 9). Most of the parents who were interviewed (82 percent) reported that the ISPS experience had had a favorable effect on their family. The positive impacts that were identified included Increases in the family's religiosity, an improved educational climate in the home, "character" development in the child, better quality of life for the child, and improved communication among family members. Younger siblings were singled out as especially benefiting from the experiences of their older sibling.


Information on problems and negative consequences was also elicited, with only 13 percent reporting any negative impact. Most of the negative responses involved the loss of the child's contribution to the family's well-being. Help with hauling water, chopping wood, herding livestock, and tending siblings was missed. Not surprising, several parents just plain missed their child. Only 3 percent of the parents said that their child brought home negative attitudes or behaviors from participation in the program.

The treatment of their children by the foster family was a special concern of many natural parents. However, virtually all of the natural parents (96 percent) reported that the foster families had treated their child in a caring fashion and had adequately provided for him or her.

Thus, a great majority of natural parents said that their child’s participation had had for the most part a good influence on the family and on the child. Parents almost unanimously responded that ISPS had increased their child’s educational accomplishments and social maturity. Eighty-eight percent of the natural parents indicated that if they had it to do over again, they would place their child in the program.

Consequences for Foster Families

The evaluation of the consequences of ISPS on the white foster families began with an assessment of why they had volunteered to open their homes to Indian children. The most important reason was that foster families had been asked by a church leader to participate. Approximately 25 percent became involved so that their family would have an intercultural experience. A special concern for American Indians was another important reason. Finally, a number of foster parents expressed the desire to share their well-being with others, and they saw ISPS as a way to do this.

Foster families consisted of intact upper-middle-class families with fairly high educational and occupational achievement. Two-thirds of the foster fathers had graduated from college, and 29 percent had completed postgraduate work. Mothers were also well educated. From the viewpoint of ISPS, the program had been very successful in recruiting strong foster families.

Foster parents were asked if any problems had emerged during the first three months the child was in their home. About one in five reported that the husband-wife relationship had been strained, primarily due to disagreements about how to handle the Indian child. About the same number of foster mothers reported stress in their relationships with their natural children. Considerably fewer fathers (8 percent) noticed increased strain between themselves and their natural children. The problems of adjustment between the Indian child and the parents and other children were experienced more often by the mothers, because they were the ones who generally had to mediate disputes.

Children in the white foster families reported more stress in family relationships than did parents. As they looked back on the experience, one of four reported that their relationship with their parents had been adversely affected and one-third said that their relationships with their natural brothers and sisters had suffered as a result of the placement student in the home.

Many foster parents stated that the placement children had had a negative influence on their natural children. Table 10 summarizes the perceptions of both parents and children on how the Indian children's behavior compared with the behavior of the natural children. For the most part, behavior of ISPS children was viewed by parents as similar to that of their natural children. The behavior most often disapproved of by foster parents and children was the placement children's resistance to doing homework. The most serious negative influence attributed to participants by foster parents and siblings concerned participants' violations of middle-class values: lying, stealing, profanity, and premarital sex. Approximately 25 percent of the parents and siblings were convinced that the placement student had had a negative influence on the other children in the family by teaching them forbidden behaviors.


The foster families were asked to explain the positive aspects of the placement experience. The enduring warm relationship that was developed with the Indian child was mentioned most often. Many parents stated that the placement child had become like a natural child to them. Foster parents also stated that they had grown personally. Greater patience and capacity to love was noted by many foster parents. Approximately one-third of the foster parents valued the exposure to a different culture.

Foster parents were asked to balance the pros and cons of the total experience and to indicate whether, if they had the chance to turn time back, they would again agree to participate in the program. A great majority (85 percent) said they would again open their home to a placement youth.

The former foster siblings of the ISPS student were somewhat more negative about the experience. One in three indicated that if they could go back in time and if they had the choice they would not participate in the program. Former foster siblings (now adults) repeatedly expressed the following concerns: (1) regret about the “inappropriate” behaviors to which the placement student had introduced them and other children in the family and (2) the severe culture shock they felt that the Indian child had experienced in their home and community. Many said that they felt bad about the trauma experienced by their foster brother or sister from shifting back and forth between the reservation and the white middle-class environment.

To summarize, the foster family members experienced very real costs by taking in a placement child. For the majority of both parents and children, however, the overall experience was good.

Summary

The results of the present study clearly demonstrate that the ISPS program enhanced the educational achievement of participants. However, the long-term translation of educational advantage into economic advantage was neither direct nor notable. Moreover, ISPS participation had little impact on social adjustment.

Two important findings emerged from the data on psychological adjustment. First, participation fostered assimilation of the Indian students into white society. Second, the severe psychological trauma alleged to afflict former placement students did not appear during the interviews with either the students or their natural parents. Although it is difficult to assess minor psychological problems in a single interview, we assumed that major or serious problems would have been reported. Maladaptive behaviors such as excessive drinking, drug abuse, suicide attempts and commitments to mental health programs were not reported.

The Indian families appeared to profit from the child's participation in the program. The participants shared his or her experiences with family members and increased the family's knowledge about white society. When the older former participants were compared with a control group of peers who did not participate, they were seen to be either comparatively advantaged or no different from the control group. Thus, the long-term consequences of the program for former participants were either generally favorable or, at worst, neutral. Indeed, the most negative consequences were experienced by white foster siblings, not Indian students or their families. (emphasis added)

[1] Leroi Garner Barclay, A Study of Graduates of the Indian Student Placement Program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Master’s thesis. University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1972); Robert D. Smith, Relationships Between Foster Home Placement and Later Acculturation Patterns of Selected American Indians (Master’s thesis, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, 1970); J.E. Valberg, Role Adaptation of Foster Mothers to Indian Placement Students (Master’s thesis, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1973); Robert E. Leach, “Interstate Compact Study Showing Positive Parental Attitudes Towards LDS Social Services Indian Student Placement Service” (mimeographed report presented to Interstate Secretariat, Washington, D.C., 1977); Albert Wallace Pope, “An Exploration of the University Environment as Perceived by Native American Freshmen” (mimeographed report presented to Department of Indian Education, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah (1977); and Wasatch Opinion Research Corporation, “The Indian Student Placement Service Evaluation Opinion Survey: Phase 1 and Phase II” (mimeographed final reports presented to The Presiding Bishopric’s Office, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1977 and 1979).
[2] Clarence R. Bishop, “An Evaluation of the Scholastic Achievement of Selected Indian Students Attending Elementary Schools in Utah” (Master’s thesis, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, 1960); Robert L. Webb, “An Examination of Certain Aspects of the American Indian Education Program at Brigham Young University” (mimeographed report presented to the Department of Indian Education, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, 1972); Linda O. Willson, “Changes in Scholastic Achievement and Intelligence of Indian Children enrolled in a Foster Placement Program” (Master’s thesis, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, 1973); Bert P. Cundick, Douglas K. Gottfredson, and Linda O. Willson, “Changes in Scholastic Achievement and Intelligence of Indian Children Enrolled in a Foster Placement Program,” Developmental Psychology 10 (December 1974: 815-20; G.T. Lindquist, The Indian Student Placement Program as a Means of Increasing the Education of Children of Selected Indian Families (Master’s thesis, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1974); L. LaMar Adams, H. Bruce Highley, and Leland H. Campbell, “Academic Success of American Indian Students at a Large Private University,” College and University 53 (Fall 1977); 100-107; and Grant Hardy Taylor, A Comparative Study of Former LDS Placement and Non-Placement Navajo Students at Brigham Young University (Ph.D. diss., Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, 1981).
[3] Martin D. Topper, “Mormon Placement: The Effects of Missionary Foster Families on Navajo Adolescents,” Ethos 7 (Summer 1979): 142-160.
[4] Topper, “Mormon Placement,” pp. 142-60.
[5] Lawrence Clinton, Bruce A. Chadwick, and Howard M. Bahr, “Vocational Training for Indian Migrants: Correlates of Success in a Federal Program,” Human Organization 32 (Spring 1973): 17-27.
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Because the 181st Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was held this past weekend I thought it appropriate to make all of the Conference speeches available to you in this post 42o of mine.

You will be assisted in searching for the language of your choice. You will find the language list on the upper right side of the page your clicking on the link below will lead you to. Best wishes!

I experienced personally each one of the speeches given during the entire conference while watching television in our living room with my wife, Melva, with the exception of the General Priesthood meeting which was held Saturday evening. I viewed that at our LDS Stake Center along with my two brothers who live not too far from us. 

I was more deeply touched during this particular conference for some unknown reason, than ever before!

Neil Birch


April (2011) General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints


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DISCLAIMER
This website is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.

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TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: (The) Indian Student Placement Program, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Third in a series of three special posts, A Professional Study -Post 42o. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).

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Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.

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I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog:

Neil Birch

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

42n The Second Post in a Series of 3 Posts Regarding the Indian Student Placement Program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post!

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TODAY'S THEME


The Great Day of the Lord -by Harry Anderson
 

Doctrine and Covenants 49:24 But before the great day of the Lord shall come, Jacob shall flourish in the wilderness, and the Lamanites shall blossom as the rose. (emphasis added)




          

          




2 Nephi 10:18 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, thus saith our God: I will afflict thy seed by the hand of the Gentiles; nevertheless, I will soften the hearts of the Gentiles, that they shall be like unto a father to them; wherefore, the Gentiles shall be blessed and numbered among the house of Israel.
19 Wherefore, I will consecrate this land unto thy seed, and them who shall be numbered among thy seed, forever, for the land of their inheritance; for it is a choice land, saith God unto me, above all other lands, wherefore I will have all men that dwell thereon that they shall worship me, saith God. (emphasis added)
Doctrine and Covenants 49: 25 Zion shall flourish upon the hills and rejoice upon the mountains, and shall be assembled together unto the place which I have appointed.

Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah (U.S.A.) and the Wasatch Mountains
Now in the rest of this post you will have the special treat of reading the words of living Lamanites (American Indians) who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and are shining examples of righteous modern-day Lamanites who are descendants of Lehi, Nephi and many other righteous Nephites and Lamanites whose words are recorded in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

These previous posts of mine will provide you insights into the lives of these modern day Lamanites who, as prophesied by the Lord, Jesus Christ above in the revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith as recorded in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, Section 49. (See above), are figuratively BLOSSOMING AS THE ROSE!

The following seven accounts were originally recorded in books entitled: Blossoming I and Blossoming II edited and published by Dale and Marjean Shumway. Dale was a close colleague of mine during my years as an Indian Placement caseworker with LDS Family Services. I will share only a few of these accounts because of space limitations, but in most of these seven posts today I have provided you information which can help you obtain your own copies of these very well written books. The life stories in them were written by former Indian Placement Students of which, Helen Rose John, was the first official Indian placement student.

By the way I think it was very fitting of Helen John (Hall's) parents to give her the middle name of Rose! As you read in my post 37n that you accessed through my last weeks post. She was, figuratively speaking, the first of very many thousands of American Indian (Lamanite) students who were assisted to blossom as the rose through their involvement in the Indian Student Placement Program of the LDS Church over the years when that program was still needed!

A SUGGESTION: You will probably want to read only one or possibly two of these accounts during this reading. I suggest you come back later to read the others. The easiest way to access these is to just return to this post which will be the first available post in my English language blog until Tuesday, April 5, 2011.

Actually each of my blog posts are accessible through my Blog Index at any time. Instructions for the use of it are contained in the blue paragraph found five paragraphs from the end of each and every post of mine. You will need the first and last name of each person whose ISPP story you wish to access. i.e. (present day) Lamanites such as (the first and last name of the former ISPP student for who you are searching. You would click on the link to my Index which is found in that black portion of that basically blue Index mentioned above found in every one of my blog posts!


Dorinda and Ernie Crocker -White Mountain Apaches
 Dorinda and Ernie Crocker

 


Nora and Milt Watts
Milt and Nora Watts are also great examples of the Lamanites Blossoming as the Rose.





Ezekiel and Pauline Sanchez and family at the temple sealing of one of their children.

Ezekiel and Pauline Sanchez and their family have also blossomed as the Rose.


Bernice and Gary Bitsoie
 Bernice and Gary Bitsoie also Blossomed as the Rose!




I, Neil Birch almost became Flora's caseworker, but was transferred to San Jose, California to a new caseload there as she was placed in a foster home in Southern California. However while still in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California I was her two younger brothers' caseworker. I got to know her very well through my visits to their parents in Arizona during the summer months when they were each home during summer school vacations.

You will learn that Flora served a mission in Montana and was assigned to work near Crow Agency, Montana where I had served a number of years earlier as an LDS Indian Seminary Coordinator. Flora was very intelligent and spiritual.

Please click on the following link when you are ready to learn about the blossoming of Flora Dude Shorten.

I must briefly tell you about watching her younger brother, Ronnie (I believe that was his first name) when he was playing little league baseball in Burbank, California (located in the San Fernando Valley.)

The "Valley" as it is called in Southern California, and especially near Burbank where he lived, was home to many athletic Little League baseball players.  I went to one of his games when he was the pitcher. After winding up, he would let out a very loud and even startling Apache War whoop and many batters' nerves were jarred by that allowing him to strike them out or hit poorly!

Flora Dude Shorten




Alfred and Doris Clark
 
Alfred Clark


Doris Clark


Again, I urge each of you to check the information provided in several of the seven posts I have linked you to in this blog post, regarding the "Blossoming Books." I have just published a small fraction of the many former Indian Placement Program students featured in those books. In them you will be even more fully convinced that the the Book of Mormon prophets knew by the spirit of truth that their descendants would blossom as the rose


through each living in an LDS home for a number years and actually becoming emotionally, socially and spiritually, members of their foster families, while remaining loyal and loving children at their homes on the reservation in the summer months and of course, by writing letters home. Many Indian youth have served missions after their experience with the LDS Indian Student Placement Program. 

In the future I may add to the number of these Indian Student Placement Program posts. Please use the comment section below to make that request If that is what you would like. Each story is very unique.

I also suggest that you consider obtaining one or both of the Blossoming books from: Dale and Marjean Shumway.

They are available on Amazon.com titled: The Blossoming II: Dramatic stories in the Lives of Native Americans.

Also both Blossoming books are available by contacting Dale and/or Margene Shumway by email: dm06shumway@yahoo.com, by mail 486 W 40 N. Orem, UT 84057, or by telephone 801 235 0986. The retail cost is for book I $12.95 and for book II $14.95 plus postage.

In the next post (42o) I will present a professional study that examines very closely the outcomes of this LDS Indian Student Placement Program.

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I will not be able to publish a special post in which I assist you, no matter where you live in the world to experience our Annual General Conference which convenes this Saturday, April 2nd and Sunday, April 3rd. This is because I am involved in this present three post series. However please click on the link below to view my instructions for viewing LDS General Conference anywhere in the world that were provided by me in late September of last year. These instructions will provide the assistance you may need and prepare you in other ways for this upcoming special experience.

Whether you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or not! I promise you that there will be a number of things you will hear spoken in this conference that meets some of your own very special needs. That's a promise! However, you ought to tune into every session to be able to hear that needed message! On both days there is a 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon session (Mountain Daylight Savings Time) and at the same times on Sunday . Once again, please click on the following and read through it to prepare yourself for this special occasion. Specific instructions are given by me through this link in one of my previous blog posts!

Preparing to view Live Broadcasts of General Conferences of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.


On Saturday, April 2, 2011, in the opening session (10:00 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time) of General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the Mormon Tabernacle Choir will sing an arrangement of "I Know my Savior Loves me."

As you choose to view the live general conference sessions as instructed above you will hear the Tabernacle Choir sing: "I Know my Savior Loves me."

I now give you the opportunity of hearing a childrens' choir sing that same touching song:

The above recording was copied from MormonSoprano's Blog. Thank you Mormon Soprano. Your blog is a great source of beautiful recordings!
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DISCLAIMER
This website is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.

____________


TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire T0o Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: (The) Indian Student Placement Program, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Second in a series of three special posts. -Post 42n. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).

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Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.

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I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog:

Neil Birch

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

42m, The First in a Series of Three Posts Regarding the LDS Church's Indian Student Placement Program. Post 1: The "Helen John Story"!

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post!
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TODAY'S THEME


The Nephite Prophet Mormon, Who Previously Had Compiled the Book of Mormon. He is Seen in this Painting Not Long Before dieing in Battle! by Arnold Friberg


Book of Mormon, 2Nephi 30: 3 And now, I (Nephi, son of Lehi and an ancestor of Mormon) would prophesy somewhat more concerning the Jews and the Gentiles (Most of us are gentiles.) For after the book (The Book of Mormon) of which I have spoken shall come forth, and be written unto the Gentiles, and sealed up again unto the Lord, there shall be many which shall believe the words which are written; and they shall carry them forth unto the remnant of our seed (The Lamanites/American Indians of our day).
4 And then shall the remnant of our seed know concerning us, how that we (Lehi and his family and all of their descendants) came out from Jerusalem, and that they (The Lamanites/American Indians) are descendants of the Jews.
5 And the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be declared among them;  (The Lamanites/American Indians of our day), wherefore, they shall be restored unto the knowledge of their fathers, and also to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, which was had among their fathers (The Nephites and Lamanites of the Central American area from about 600 B.C. to 300 A.D.)
6 And then shall they rejoice; for they shall know that it is a blessing unto them from the hand of God; and their scales of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a pure and a delightsome people. (clarification and emphasis added)
After having been employed by the LDS Church's Seminary and Institute program as a Gospel teacher of Indian Seminary students from among the Navajo, Crow and Northern Cheyenne American Indian Tribes (in Brigham City, Utah; Farmington, New Mexico; Hardin and at Crow Agency in Montana and in the nearby Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, located in Lame Deer, Montana (U.S.A.) from the Fall of 1962 to the Summer of 1967, I accepted a transfer in my employment from the Seminary programs of the Church to the Indian Student Placement Program of that same Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My first assignment in that program was in the San Fernando Valley in the Los Angeles, California area.

In the second post, (42n) in this series, I will also provide a true humorous account of an Indian Placement matter in which I happened to be involved!


After getting my growing family (my wife and I and our four still young children-our oldest was to start the first grade of school there) settled in our rented home in Canoga Park, California, my wife and I left our children in the care of another LDS family who lived near us, while we traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah to attend the annual Indian Student Placement Program Caseworker's training seminar, the first one I was to attend.

That training was very important for me as I was entering an entirely new work assignment, although I had heard much about that work because it was also with the American Indian/Lamanite people I had been working with although in a different role.

There was an about two hour portion of that three day training seminar that I payed very particular attention to. During that session, the very first Indian Placement Program student, Helen Rose John and her Indian Placement foster parents, Golden and Thelma Buchanan told their very moving (and touching) story. 

I payed close attention to what they each said and saw how they lovingly interacted one with another as they told about the roles they each had in the beginnings of the Indian Student Placement Program. I vowed right then to some day write their story they were telling us. I was not a trained writer. I was just so touched and impressed that I just knew I had to write what I learned that day about their experience they had just shared with us!

Over the years of my employment with the LDS Church's Family Services Program (which included ISPP along with counseling, assisting adoptive parents and working with birth mothers who were contemplating placing their out-of-wedlock babies, for adoption) and as the first agency director of LDS Family Services in Kansas City, Missouri (U.S.A.), I kept recalling my vow of that first day of that training session to write about the Beginnings of the LDS Indian Student Placement Program.

I finally wrote it in about 1981 while living in Sandy, Utah and working with the Indian Student Placement portion of LDS Family Services in nearby Salt Lake City, Utah. It was presented on several occasions, at least one of which was an annual ISPP reunion held in the Wilkinson Center on the BYU campus, in Provo, UT. The story was published several years later in an LDS oriented magazine, Dialogue. The theme of that particular issue was "The Work of the LDS Church with American Indians."

Several years ago I made that story into my blog post 37n. I have even read articles recently about the Indian Student Placement Program in which the authors refer to my particular Dialogue Magazine article. Edward Kimball (who served as a professor of Law at BYU-Provo) a son of President Spencer W. Kimball.

Recently I have been perfecting that post because I thought you might enjoy reading it. It is longer than many of my other posts but it is much faster moving than some and I humbly feel that it is the best thing I have ever been privileged to write!

I invite you to click on the following link to begin viewing my post 37n. I have to admit that I shed tears in certain places in it just about every time I read it. This is a true historical account! Please read it all the way through in one sitting. It flows rapidly and smoothly!

The Helen John Story

In my next post, Post 42n you will be given the opportunity of reading some accounts written by former LDS Indian Student Placement students, featuring their personal and most often their wife or husband's experiences as students in that program. In the final post of this three post series, 42o, you will learn the findings of some professionals who jointly evaluated and published a study of results of the Indian Placement Program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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DISCLAIMER
This website is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.

____________

TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire T0o Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: The Helen John Story, the First Indian Student of the LDS Indian Student Placement Program. -Post 42m. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).

____________

Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.

____________


I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog:

Neil Birch

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

42l As Recorded in the Book of Mormon, an Angel Prophesied to the Prophet, Nephi, that in the Latter-Days (Our Days on Earth) the Members of the Church of the Lamb of God would be Armed with Righteousness and with the Power of God in Great Glory!

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post!

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TODAY'S THEME


In the Arnold Friberg painting above, Nephi's Left Hand is on His Father, Lehi's red turban. All are looking at the Liahona which was unexpectedly left in front of Lehi's tent during the night. It is a device which was considered a gift from the Lord intended by Him to Instruct them in His ways and guide them across The Arabian Peninsula and then across oceans to their promised land which is known today as Central America! The Liahona, along with several other ancient devices, was shown by the Angel Moroni to the Three Witnesses and Joseph Smith at the time he appeared to them in our day!

I, Neil Birch inserted the above painting primarily to show a picture of Nephi, son of Lehi because a painting just showing Nephi by himself wasn't available. I like having the Liahona shown in the painting with Nephi because of its being an item which works through the power of the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation, therefore it is the same type of message mentioned in the following scripture regarding the communication by the angel of the Lord, through that same spirit, to the Prophet, Nephi, son of Lehi.

Book of Mormon: 1Nephi, 14:9 And it came to pass that he, (an angel) said unto me: Look, and behold that great and abominable church, which is the mother of abominations, whose founder is the devil.
10 And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.
11 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the whore of all the earth, and she sat upon many waters; and she had dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people.
12 And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the wickedness and abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters; nevertheless, I beheld that the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth; and their dominions upon the face of the earth were small, because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw.
13 And it came to pass that I beheld that the great mother of abominations did gather together multitudes upon the face of all the earth, among all the nations of the Gentiles, to fight against the Lamb of God.
14 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory. (clarification and emphasis added)
Just a quick question I've just inserted for each one of you who might be viewing this post about 24 hours after I first published it:
If, as some mistakenly propose, Joseph Smith or someone else in the year 1829 had actually put together the Book of Mormon deceptively, how would Joseph or anyone else at that time in this world's history, ever have had the sense or even courage about them to make up or invent such an item as the Liahona? I could see somebody in our day of computers and I-pads, etc. doing that, but not in the time when Joseph Smith was actually translating the sacred and inspired words off of the golden plates provided him by the Angel Moroni!  Enough said! Lets return to the words I published Tuesday morning at about this time: (Please read the instructions found in the two paragraphs below the following map link before clicking on it!)
Adjustable World Map Showing Locations of Various Key Programs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints presently, throughout the world.

The above map, which you will notice, can be adjusted to show various key elements (facilities) of the work being provided by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the entire earth in 2011 A.D.. Adjustments can be made simply with a mere click of your mouse.

Please view each Facility by itself, therefore you must click off of a Facility before clicking on a different one. I have inserted this map at this point in this post to illustrate what was related to us through the words of the Prophet Nephi, in verse 14 above, regarding the church of the Lamb of God being scattered upon all the face of the earth.

You will notice that not all facilities have been made available throughout the world at this point in time, but availability of key facilities (such as chapels in which church meetings are held) continues to increase! Numbers of Temples have increased significantly along with some other facilities.

It was also prophesied by the angel to Nephi that the numbers of members of the Church of the Lamb of God in our day would be (relatively) small. There are 14 million members of the LDS Church with the total population of this earth being about: 6.91 billion, therefore while His true church is spread all over the earth, just as the angel prophesied, The Church of the Lamb's numbers are relatively small (as I've just shown you), as also was prophesied. However, I must remind you that this church began in 1830 with just six members. This growth rate has increased this church's population from that small number to fourteen million in just 181 years and is continuing to increase quite rapidly. This is a sure sign that the Lord is guiding this church as it continues to fill the role the Lord gave it. Remember what the angel of the Lord said:
"there are two churches only,"
 One is the church of the lamb of God and the others are combined together make up the Devil's church. Please note:  It was an angel of the Lord who said that by the sacred power of the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation, not a modern day Mormon.

Now I want you to notice the the very last part of that verse from the Book of Mormon I quoted at the beginning, which was prophesied by the angel of the Lord:
"and they were armed with righteousness and the power of God in great glory." (emphasis is mine)
Now, I would like each of you readers to read the following article excerpted from the Deseret News of Salt Lake City, Utah (U.S.A.), dated March 6, 2011). It is by Jerry Earl Johnston. In this and in following articles you will view in this post you will come to recognize that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints strongly puts righteous living as being much more important than financial gain and worldly glory!

The Crucial Importance of Righteous Living.

I would like you to read another article about the BYU Honor Code and athletics which at first is similar to the one you have just read, however it adds significant information and insights so I urge you view this article also.

After reading this article linked by Doug Robinson of the Deseret News please consider clicking on the link found in the box (on the first page and also on the second page, labeled: From the Archive) please click on the fourth item in that box located on the left side labeled:  Danny Ainge expressed views on BYU Honor Code -March 3, 2011.

(Please note that Danny Ainge was a champion basketball athlete at BYU (Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah (U.S.A.) and is currently President of the Boston Celtics Professional Basketball team and presently serves as a Mormon bishop. I hope you will not skip over this one!

After you click on the DeseretNews link which is three short paragraphs below, please click on the last of the four selections listed in the box on the left side of that article which has Danny Ainge's name in it, look for the link: Boston Sports Radio Program. and click on it!

(A tip: stay on the page where you see pictures of a white coach and a black athlete on the screen because the double verticle bar you'll need to click on when you desire to exit that interview is on the lower left hand corner of that screen! If you don't click on that bar when you are finished listening you will have difficulty returning to my post. There will be more for you that is specially interesting later on in my post!

Please note that after you have clicked on that Radio Program link you will first hear an advertisement or two and then the Radio interviewer asks Danny Ainge several quick questions about his Celtics' basketball team. Then they will discuss the BYU honor code violation which held back BYU's basketball team from advancing as they had expected it would. You will find that interview very interesting and impressive!

It is a Surprise that BYU Drew a Line at All!

Whenever you have heard all you want from the somewhat long but very interesting and insightful interview with Danny Ainge you should click out, and return to the previous link/s. After finishing this post I felt very positively about all that Danny Ainge had to say about the BYU Honor Code. Besides his having been a very successful BYU Basketball team player, his being presently an LDS bishop of the LDS ward he and his family live in gives him some very special insights into the subject.

After hearing the Danny Ainge interview regarding the BYU Honor Code, I recommend  that you view an informative video about the "star player" (Jimmer Fredette) of the present BYU basketball team who lives by the BYU honor code and highly values and lives by the standards of his church. His attitude, in our present day world, is highly unusual for a talented and successful college athlete and is very admirable!  After clicking on the link just below, please be patient for just a few seconds while the lady announcer briefly tells of several other features before getting to the one on Jimmer Fredette.

You will want to exit that link at the end of the brief video interview with the KSL Radio/TV Sports News Reporter, Greg Wrubell which immediately follows the one about Jimmer Fredette.

Jimmer Mania

We have been reviewing the righteousness of the Church of the Lamb of God (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) spoken of by the Angel of God who revealed many things to the ancient Book of Mormon Prophet, Nephi, that were meant to benefit each of us. 

It is a great and unique righteousness that causes the LDS Church owned and governed Brigham Young University to put upholding their students' Honor Code above the huge amounts of money earned by having a winning Basketball Team.

Please also remember what Danny Ainge said about the BYU basketball player who was suspended by an honor code violation: The University, its faculty members and that player's former team mates continue to show their love and concern for him which could help to lead him in due time to finish his education at BYU and even possibly be restored to the BYU Basketball team when he has fully satisfied the honor code requirements made of him.

Also,That unique righteousness is shown in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints having brought about and continued for many decades the magnificent (non-profit) Mormon Tabernacle Choir featured every Sunday Morning on Television and Radio from Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. It can be experienced by TV throughout the United States of America on many television stations in that nation. Also, the choir and orchestra members are not paid for their practices and performances. It is their church calling.

My and my wife Melva's present LDS Church calling is spending about five hours each week at a new and very large hospital located not very far from our home, in visiting and cheering up members of the LDS church who are patients there. That time is spread over each Sunday morning and in our case on each Wednesday evening of each week.

Sunday mornings after attending a one half hour Sacrament meeting together with our leaders and the fifty one other older couples, along with ambulatory patients and hospital staff members who are available to attend, each pair of couples go to an assigned floor of the hospital.

Each pair of two married couples work together on Sunday mornings with the two men, both bearing the Melchizedek Priesthood, administering and providing the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper to those LDS patients who say they desire that, who are patients on the particular floor to which they happen to be assigned on that particular Sunday morning. Assigned areas usually vary each Sunday as does the matching of couples.

This is a very enjoyable calling and My wife and I are glad we can do this service without being paid for it. The smiles of the patients and their kind words are well worth the effort!

Please click on the following link to review through a Video what the Mormon Tabernacle choir, made up of many faithful and righteous Latter-day Saints, along with the Orchestra on Temple Square, is planning to do regarding an upcoming Tour this summer (2011) You will find this very exciting:

Summer of 2011 Annual Tour of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

I promise each of you readers of this post that you will continue to be amazed at the humble righteousness of (most) Latter-day Saints. Perhaps you will remember some of them who live near  you or perhaps work with you. Consider getting to know them better. They will welcome your increased friendship!

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DISCLAIMER
This website is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.

____________


TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: The Latter-Day Saints Are to be Armed with Righteousness -Post 42l. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).

____________


Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.

____________


I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog:
Neil Birch