A NEW BEGINNING

"What is the old year? It is like a book on which we backward fondly look."

I think back now - not just one year -

But back to October, 1960 - Garden City, Monroeville, PA (near Pittsburgh)---

I greeted my husbaand, Max,as he came home one night:

"Two Mormon missionaries came to our door today--"

"Oh, really?", he said , as he held his pipe tightly,

" I hope you sent them on their way!"

"No, I didn't - for, you see, they came in answer to prayer. I have been asking: 'If there is a better way to believe, show me!' These two young men told me of a man named Lehi, his family - a trip across the sea -

His son, named Nephi - it's all here in this book they left us.

And there's more - they have a plan of salvation

And they understand the story of the creation."

My husband sighed; well, he actually groaned -

"Come now, - you've met two men with a book to sell -

And from the way that you sound, they did it quite well !"

I said, "You won't like this, but I know I've done right -

I invited them back next Saturday night."

We studied the gospel all that fall -

Winter came - the snow was deep, I recall.

We travelled miles to visit a church -

Where the people called one another

By the endearing terms of "Sister" and "Brother".

We talked to our friend, the minister from the church we attended;

He worried that perhaps we were offended -

Had he done something wrong?

Were his sermons too long?

Were we concerned about baptism? Could he help us somehow?

"And if so", he said, "I'll take care of that now!

I'll resprinkle you - I'll take you to a Baptist font.

I'll dip you in the Monongahela River."

(And we all laughed at that, for it was January and the ice was thick.)

And then he said, "I'll baptize you however you want."

His answers didn't give us what we needed most -

To hear of authority, priesthood - the gift of the Holy Ghost.

It became clear to us the path we should take:

We must be baptized as the Lord directs - for our very own sake!

We were baptized on February 4, 1961