Quorum of the Seventy - Brazil

     July 1, 1989 I was called to serve as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy.  Our first three-year assignment was to serve in the Area Presidency of Brazil.  Then in 1992, to serve as Area President of the North America Northwest Area for a year and then six and a half years in the Presidency of the Seventies, becoming an Emeritus Seventy in October 1999.

Linda's Memories of our time in Brazil:

    Dad’s first assignment as a member of the Seventy was to serve in the Area Presidency in Brazil. Mom and dad left Ricks College in the Spring of 1989 where dad had served as the president for four years. They stayed in Salt Lake City for a few months before leaving for San Paulo. There, dad would be a counselor to Elder Helio Camargo with Elder Lynn Sorenson serving as the other counselor.  After a year, dad was called as the area president and had Elder Helvacio Marchins and Elder Harold HIllam as counselors.  All the members of the presidency lived in a huge high-rise apartment building in a gated community. San Paulo had thousands of high rise buildings and was, and remains, one of the largest cities in the world.

     When President Hinckley met with dad and mom to issue their assignment, dad reminded President Hinckley that they speak Portuguese in Brazil, not Spanish (which was the language of their first mission). President Hinckley casually assured dad that he knew that already and told mom and dad that they would learn Portuguese.

     Dad requested upon arriving in San Paulo, that all their presidency meetings be held in Portuguese. That was one of his secrets to success with the language. Mom requested that she have a tutor come regularly to their apartment for private Portuguese lessons.  She posted words strips with conjugated verbs all over their walls and cupboards. Both mom and dad became very proficient with the language, but dad always said that mom knew the grammar far better than he. They are very determined souls. The members were drawn close to them as they were able to communicate in their language.  Dad found some applicable quotes by a beloved national poet. Using this poetry in his talks further endeared him to the members.

     All of the family looked forward to their bi-annual trips home at General Conference time. They often brought gifts for the grandchildren. I can still remember the distinct smell of their luggage. One of my favorite things they brought home was a nativity set of clay figures in bright ethnic costumes.

     Peter and I took, our, then three, children to Brazil for a visit in 1990. We had a grand tour of the area in San Paulo and then mom tended Heather, Nate and Meredith, while we took a quick trip up to Rio. Later all seven of us flew to see the falls at Iguazu. There is nothing like them in the world. Eleanor Roosevelt was quoted as having said, “Poor Niagara,” when she first saw the magnificent falls of Brazil.

     Some months before mom and dad came home from Brazil, Amy and I flew down to see them. We had a magnificent time with them.  Dad had made arrangements for us to fly to Manaus and see the rain forest.  We spent several hours on the Amazon and went to the “Meeting of the Waters” where the Rio Negro and the Solimoise (Amazon) River join.  We stayed at the mission home with President and Sister Claudio R. M. Costa and had a very sweet time. The saints from Manaus had a temple trip planned that required many days on the river and then several days on a bus for the Saints to make their way to San Paulo.  The Saints had to provide food for the journey and on several instances stayed with other members of the Church along the way for bathing. The cost was overwhelming for the members. Prior to our trip, we raised awareness of the challenge of the trip in our ward and among friends and we raised about $1,700 to give to the mission president to assist the members.  The money paid for all of the food that would be consumed on the trip both to San Paulo and the return to Manaus.

     While we were in the rain forest Amy and I had the experience of having monkeys jump onto our heads.  It was a trip of a lifetime and very sweet to share with Amy and our parents.

     The Church grew rapidly while mom and dad were in Brazil. The revelation on the priesthood had been received 11 years prior to their service and that ushered in a new generation of members from all ethnicities. It was an exciting, pioneering time in Brazil. When mom and dad arrived, there were only 10 stakes. Five more were created while they served, with over 22,000 members being baptized annually.

     Long distance phone calls were very expensive and so our communication was largely with letters. Mom wrote lengthy, detailed letters describing their travels, the work they did, their interaction with members and many other details. She was a great letter writer and her letters became something of personal history with detailed notes and expressions of faith. Mom came home but one extra time when Andrew was born. She wanted to be helpful to Susan and made the long journey by herself.

     Mom and dad always came home for General Conference. We cherished any time we could have with them. For the years they were away, we often had a family picnic between the Sunday sessions at the Heber C. Kimball gravesite. It is less than a block from temple square and we could eat together and the kids could run around in the park that surrounds the site. Often dad would have a pair of extra tickets and we would take turns going to the tabernacle to witness a session of conference.

     Wherever mom and dad served they gave a wholehearted effort. They always worked their way into the hearts of the Saints. They were loved by all and served valiantly. Though we missed having them close for many years while they were away on assignments, we always felt blessed because of their faith and devotion. We were also grateful for the priceless example they provided to our children of faithful service, of doing hard things, of following the Brethren and making every assignment a cherished time.