Ded mo Laef

Wan stori blong wan Lata dei Sent papa blong Skandinavia we i no givim nem we yang boe blong hem i bin ded long rod, long Niu Yok i go long Yuta long 1866.

“Wetem help blong wan fren, oli bin digim wan smol grev mo putum smol bodi insaed. From smol pikinini ia i ded from wan sik we i save pas kwiktaem, i no gat ol man i kam blong krae, i no gat wan fenerol, o saen blong ol flaoa, i no gat singsing long saed blong spirit, i no gat wan toktok abaot laef blong hem. Be bifo papa blong smol pikinini ia we i ded i go, hem i mekem wan smol prea blong dedikesen long lanwis blong hem (lanwis blong Denmak) mo i go olsem: …

“‘Papa long Heven: Yu yu bin givim long mi smol tresa—daling boe ia, mo naoia Yu yu stap singaotem hem i go. Sapos yu save mekem se bodi blong hem i ledaon long ples ia mo i no gat samting i spolem kasem long moning blong laef bakegen long ded. Be yu mekem folem tingting blong Yu. Amen.’

“Mo taem hem i girap long graon mo bifo hem i go, ol las toktok blong hem oli:

“‘Tata, dia smol Hans—naes boe blong mi.’ Afta wetem hed i hang mo hat i soa, hem i gohed long rod blong hem i gobak long ples we oli kamp long hem.”¹

Presiden Josef Smit (1805–44):

“Ol toktok ia oli gud tumas blong olgeta we oli krae taem oli stap livim wan hasban, waef, papa, mama, wan pikinini, o wan famle, blong save se nomata bodi blong wol ia i ledaon mo i lus, bae oli laef bakegen blong stap long faea we i no save ded samtaem long glori we i nomo save ded, i nomo harem nogud, i nomo safa, o ded bakegen, be bae oli kasem ol samting we i blong God mo oli kasem ol samting wetem Jisas Kraes.”²

Josef Watson Yang (1828–73), nifiu blong Brigham Yang we i bin travel long Inglan i go kasem Yunaeted Stet long 1853.

“I bin wan taem blong sore blong luk oli berem wan nara man long solwota long let naet wetem hamas man nomo i bin witnesem. … Hem i no bin gat wan famle o fren wetem hem long sip blong krae from hem be wan wokman blong hem nomo. Hemia i bin wan bigfala hop blong laef blong wan man long wol we i jes smas gud long wan smol taem nomo. Yang man ia i bin livim evri samting blong hem blong go long Saeon, mo hat blong hem i bin fulap long hop mo wetem wan strong tingting blong fiuja, mo hem i no bin tingting tumas se bae hem i ded long solwota. Be, hem i no bin ded olsem olgeta we oli no gat hop, from pis blong hem i bin stap wetem God blong hem, mo hem i bin gat ful tras blong wan laef bakegen long ded we i gat glori long moning ia we i blong olgeta we oli stret.”³

Presiden Brigham Yang (1801–77):

“Ples ia we oli singaotem ded i wan ples blong tudak mo wan sado! Blong pasem long stet ia blong laef olsem we evri bodi we bae i ded i mas go tru long hem, i go long wan stet we i emti nomo, i defren nomo! Ded hem i tudak! Rod blong ded ia i givim fraet, mo yumi mas folem rod ia yumiwan. Mi wantem blong talem long yufala, ol fren mo ol brata blong mi, sapos yumi save luk ol samting olsem we oli stap, mo taem yumi stap luk mo andastanem olgeta samting ia, rod ia blong ded i smol mo i no impoten we yumi save tanem raon mo luk long hem mo tingting se taem yumi krosem, i tru se hem i wan bigfala janis blong ful laef blong mi, from mi bin kamaot long wan stet blong harem nogud, soa, krae, ol problem, ol nogud samting, i go long stet blong laef, we mi save glad blong laef longtaem hemia samting ia i save hapen sapos i no gat bodi.”⁴

Dan Jons (1811–62), wan man Wels we i bin konvet, wetem Misis Wiliams mo ol nara memba blong Jos, mo i bin sel i go long Yunaeted Stet long 1849:

“Misis Williams, blong Wainisbon kolosap long Tregaron long [Wels], helt blong hem i stap kam moa nogud kwiktaem, mo ol saen i soem se hem i no save laef longtaem. … Hem i talem se bigfala ona we hem i bin kasem long laef blong hem i we blong save kam wan memba blong tru jos blong Pikinini blong God, se i no gat fraet long tingting blong hem abaot narafala laef mo se relijin blong hem naoia i pruvum paoa blong samting ia bitim bifo. … Hem i kaonselem ol boe blong hem blong gohed blong stap fetful kasem ded from olsem bae oli save kasem wetem hem wan laef bakegen long ded we i moa gud. … Hem i gohed blong tingting long samting truaot long naet, mo long kwota pas fo long nekis moning, spirit blong hem i bin aot wetem pis, mo livim wan smael i stap long fes blong hem.”⁵

Presiden Jon Teila (1808–87):

“Ol toktok ia i gud tumas blong olgeta we oli mas krae from ded blong ol dia fren, blong save se bae yumi mitim olgeta bakegen! Hem i leftemap tingting blong evriwan we i stap laef folem ol prinsipol blong trutok we God i bin talemaot, ating speseli long olgeta we oli stap kam kolosap long en blong laef, we oli bin safa longtaem mo stanap strong kasem en blong save se, bifo finis, yumi save girap bakegen long gref, mo kam laef bakegen mo gat ol sol we i nomo save ded, blong save stap glad long sosaeti blong ol fren blong yumi we oli bin traem olgeta mo save trastem olgeta, mo nomo save safa from ded mo blong finisim wok blong Papa we hem i bin givim long yumi blong mekem!”⁶

Andru Jenson (1850–1941), wan man Danmak we i bin aot mo travel long Andru H. Skot wagon kampani long Nebraska, YSA, i go long Yuta long 1866:

“Taem mifala i bin stap witnesem ol bodi blong olgeta we [oli travel wetem mifala] we oli berem long graon long drae ples, mifala evriwan i krae, o filim blong krae; from, wetem tingting ia blong berem olgeta we oli ded folem fasin ia, taem ol fren mo famle i mas hariap mo aot, mo no gat hop blong visitim ol grev ia bakegen blong olgeta we oli ded, i bin wan taem blong sore mo wan hadtaem tru. … Be bae yumi faenem ol grev blong olgeta taem Gabriel i bloem trampet blong hem long fas moning blong resureksen. Olgeta ia we oli bin go, oli lego ol bodi blong olgeta i stap long graon taem we oli stap maj i go blong kasem Saeon. Lod i bin singaotem olgeta blong go hom long Hem bifo oli kasem ples we oli stap wantem go long hem. Lod i no bin letem olgeta blong luk Saeon long bodi; be bae oli kasem glori mo glad long laef afta; oli bin ded taem oli stap traehad blong obei God mo kipim ol komanmen blong hem, mo olgeta we oli ded oli kasem blesing long [Lod].”⁷

Presiden Wilfod Wudrof (1807–98):

“Sapos i nogat gospel blong Kraes, seperesen we ded i mekem i wan long ol bigfala topik blong sore we man i save tingting long hem plante; be taem we yumi kasem gospel mo lanem prinsipol blong laef bakegen long ded, bigfala pat blong sore, harem nogud mo safring we i hapen tru long ded i nomo gat. … Laef bakegen long ded i soem hemwan bitim save blong man, mo hem i gat wan faondesen blong spirit blong hem blong stap antap long hem. Hemia nao hemi ples wea Ol Lata-dei Sent i stanap long hem tedei. Mifala i save long mifalawan, se mifala i no stap long tudak long saed blong topik ia. God i bin rivilim long mifala mo mifala i andastanem prinsipol blong laef bakegen long ded, mo we gospel i karem laef mo fasin blong nomo save ded i kam long laet.”⁸

Wiliam Draeva (1837–1920), wan paeonia we i bin travel long Inglan i go long Niu Yok, YSA, long 1866:

“Wili, dia pikinini blong mi, i bin sik tumas truaot long naet kasem 7:30 long moning taem we hem i ded mo hemi kam fri long ol harem nogud blong hem. God i blesem dia sol blong hem. Hem i bin safa bigwan. Hem i bin ded from kat blong Mista Poulta i bin brok long hil blong Sent An, Wanswot, Seri, Ingland. O mi bin krae tumas from bigfala hadtaem ia. O Lod, helpem mi tru paoa blong yu blong akseptem olsem tingting blong yu mo givim mi paoa blong save givim seves long yu wetem moa respek mo fasin blong stap fetful, mo bae mi save laef blong rere blong mitim hem long wan wol we i moa hapi mo i moa gud wetem dia sista blong hem, Elisabet Meriam, mo long taem blong laef bakegen long ded blong olgeta we oli stret, bae mi save stap blong mitim olgeta.”⁹

Presiden Lorenso Sno (1814–1901):

“Long nekis laef, bae yumi gat ol bodi blong yumi we bae i fulap long glori mo i fri long sik mo ded. I nogat wan samting we bae i moa naes olsem wan man o woman long wan bodi we i laef bakegen long ded mo i fulap long glori. I nogat wan samting we i fulap long lav bitim we blong stap long wan wei we i olsem mo gat ol waef mo ol pikinini mo ol fren blong yumi oli stap wetem yumi.”¹⁰