I love this video.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
A striking story about translation of the Book of Mormon
I stumbled on this today.
Die Boek van Mormon
March 1, 2012 by John M. Pontius
I was searching through my books in storage a few days ago and came across a first edition of the Book of Mormon in Afrikaans. I served a mission in South Africa from 1971 to 1973. It was an interesting and challenging experience.
I attended the Stake Conference in Johannesburg on May 14, 1972 when the new translation of the Book of Mormon into Afrikaans (Die Boek van Mormon) was presented. It was an electric moment. People wept. Some had waited all of their lifetimes to read the Book of Mormon in Afrikaans. Many people had learned English for the sole purpose of reading this scripture. The Spirit was strong among us as we rejoiced.
Remembering back more than 40 years, I can still remember Professor Felix Mynhardt as he spoke of his experience in translating that sacred book. We also had a special Zone conference a few days prior where our Mission President, Harlan Clark, recounted his involvement and experience of getting the Book of Mormon translated. I had a good friend who was an Assistant to President Clark, and who later shared with me his experiences of being in meetings with Professor Mynhardt and Elder Clark several times. I can no longer remember who said what exactly, but I remember what I felt, and how it affected my newly-minted testimony as a young missionary. I will retell it as best I can recall.
Professor Mynhardt was invited to come to the stand and speak about his experience in translating the Book of Mormon. He recounted how he had been given a gift of languages from God from his youth. He said that he was fluent in many languages, including English, Afrikaans, Hebrew and Egyptian, as well as many others. He was presently employed at Pretoria University as a language professor. He said he had been praying that the Lord would give him some task, some divinely important task, that would justify his having this gift of language from God. He said in about 1970 that he had visited a group of Mormon leaders, including a Bishop Brummer, Mission President Harlan Clark and others, who sought to commission him to translate the Book of Mormon from English into Afrikaans. He said that he knew of the Book of Mormon from his religious studies, and his initial reaction was that he did not want to be involved in translating it. However, that evening, as he prayed upon his knees, as was his habit, he said the Spirit of the Lord convicted him. The message was something on the order of, “You asked me for a great, divinely inspired task of translation, I sent it to you in the form of translating the Book of Mormon, and you declined.” Professor Mynardt said he could not sleep through the night because he knew that translating the Book of Mormon would get him into trouble with his university, which was owned and operated by the Dutch Reformed Church. When morning came he telephoned Elder Clark to inform him that he would begin the translation immediately.
He stood at the pulpit and described the experience. He said, “I never begin translating a book at the beginning. Writing style usually changes through a book, and becomes more consistent toward the middle. Accordingly, I opened to a random place in the middle of the Book of Mormon, and began translating.” He said, “I was startled by the obvious fact that the Book of Mormon was not authored in English. He said, “It became immediate ly apparent that what I was reading was a translation into English from some other language. The sentence structure was wrong for native English. The word choices were wrong, as were many phrases.” He said, “How many times has an Englishman said or written, ‘And it came to pass?’” We all laughed, and knew he was right, of course. He continued, “When I realized this, I knew that I had to find the original language, and translate it back into the original language, or a similar language to the original, and then proceed to translate it into Afrikaans. He listed a half-dozen languages he tried, all of which did not accommodate the strange sentence structure found in the Book of Mormon. He said, “I finally tried Egyptian, and to my complete surprise, I found that the Book of Mormon translated flawlessly into Egyptian, not modern, but ancient Egyptian. I found that some nouns were missing from Egyptian, so I added Hebrew nouns where Egyptian did not provide the word or phrase. I chose Hebrew because both languages existed in the same place anciently.” “I had no idea at that time why the Book of Mormon was once written in Egyptian, but I can tell you without any doubt, that this book was at one point written entirely in Egyptian.” I heard him say this over and over. Then, he said, “Imagine my utter astonishment when I turned to chapter one, verse one and began my actual translation and came to verse two, where Nephi describes that he was writing in the language of the Egyptians, with the learning of the Jews!” He said, “I knew by the second verse, that this was no ordinary book, that it was not the writings of Joseph Smith, but that it was of ancient origin and was in fact scripture. I could have saved myself months of work if I had just begun at the beginning. Nobody but God, working through a prophet of God, in this case Nephi, would have included a statement of the language he was writing in. Consider, how many documents written in English, include the phrase, “we are writing in English!” It is unthinkable and absolute proof of the inspired
origins of this book.
He paused, then noted, “I am one of the few people in the world that is fluent in ancient Egyptian. I am perhaps the only person fluent in ancient Egyptian who is also fluent in Afrikaans and English. And I know for a fact, that I am the only person alive who could have translated this book first into Egyptian, and then into Afrikaans. If your church ever needs an Egyptian translation of the Book of Mormon, it is sitting in my office as we speak.” We all laughed.
Professor Mynhardt spoke of many other things regarding the translation of this book, and then said, “I do not know what Joseph Smith was before he translated this book, and I do not know what he was afterward, but while he translated this book, he was a prophet of God! I know he was a prophet! I testify to you that he was a prophet while he brought forth this book! He could have been nothing else! No person in 1827 could have done what he did. The science did not exist. The knowledge of ancient Egyptian did not exist. The knowledge of these ancient times and ancient peoples did not exist. The Book of Mormon is scripture. I hope you realize this.”
“I have since been asked to translate the book you call the Doctrine and Covenants. I got part way through and set it down. It is not like the Book of Mormon. Anyone could translate it into Afrikaans. It is not scripture in the same sense that the Book of Mormon is scripture. I declare that the Book of Mormon is of ancient origin, and is scripture of the same caliber as the Old Testament, or for that matter, the New Testament.” “I have taken this book of scripture, this Book of Mormon, and presented it to my Board of Regents, and urged them to embrace it as scripture. They declined, of course. I took it to the head of our Dutch Reformed Church and demonstrated why the Book of Mormon is scripture, and urged them to at least study it, even if they did not canonize it or even share it with the people of the church. I urged them to just think what having a new and profound book of scripture could mean to the church, to my church, the Dutch Reformed Church. I pointed out that they need not become Mormons, in the same way that they did not need to become Jews to embrace the Old Testament. They considered my presentation for a very few seconds and then rejected it. They next threatened me regarding my belief in the Book of Mormon, threatened my employment, and ejected me from their presence. I am deeply disappointed, but I am not deterred. I will keep promoting this book as scripture for the remainder of my life – simply because it is scripture, and I know it.”
He paused then added, “I am not a member of your church, and do not expect to become one. I have been asked why I have not joined your church many times, and my answer is because God has not directed me to join you. If He had, I would be standing here as a fellow Mormon. Perhaps my mission in life is better served outside of your church. I haven’t studied your doctrine or your history since Joseph Smith. The only thing I know about you is that you have authentic, ancient scripture in the Book of Mormon, that your church was begun by a living and true prophet of God, and that all of the world should embrace the Book of Mormon as scripture. It simply can’t be denied. I believe every religion could embrace the Book of Mormon without becoming a Mormon. You probably disagree with that, but it is my present belief, and my message to anyone who will listen.”
I have pondered that experience for almost half of a century now. I do not know if Professor Mynhardt ever joined the church. I know my memory of his exact words is wanting, but my memory of what I felt and what I knew and how potent it was to hear his testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. It is one of those things I will never forget.
May we continue to study the Book of Mormon with an increased commitment to find the truths within that will speak to our heart and minds.
Love, Telicia
Die Boek van Mormon
March 1, 2012 by John M. Pontius
I was searching through my books in storage a few days ago and came across a first edition of the Book of Mormon in Afrikaans. I served a mission in South Africa from 1971 to 1973. It was an interesting and challenging experience.
I attended the Stake Conference in Johannesburg on May 14, 1972 when the new translation of the Book of Mormon into Afrikaans (Die Boek van Mormon) was presented. It was an electric moment. People wept. Some had waited all of their lifetimes to read the Book of Mormon in Afrikaans. Many people had learned English for the sole purpose of reading this scripture. The Spirit was strong among us as we rejoiced.
Remembering back more than 40 years, I can still remember Professor Felix Mynhardt as he spoke of his experience in translating that sacred book. We also had a special Zone conference a few days prior where our Mission President, Harlan Clark, recounted his involvement and experience of getting the Book of Mormon translated. I had a good friend who was an Assistant to President Clark, and who later shared with me his experiences of being in meetings with Professor Mynhardt and Elder Clark several times. I can no longer remember who said what exactly, but I remember what I felt, and how it affected my newly-minted testimony as a young missionary. I will retell it as best I can recall.
Professor Mynhardt was invited to come to the stand and speak about his experience in translating the Book of Mormon. He recounted how he had been given a gift of languages from God from his youth. He said that he was fluent in many languages, including English, Afrikaans, Hebrew and Egyptian, as well as many others. He was presently employed at Pretoria University as a language professor. He said he had been praying that the Lord would give him some task, some divinely important task, that would justify his having this gift of language from God. He said in about 1970 that he had visited a group of Mormon leaders, including a Bishop Brummer, Mission President Harlan Clark and others, who sought to commission him to translate the Book of Mormon from English into Afrikaans. He said that he knew of the Book of Mormon from his religious studies, and his initial reaction was that he did not want to be involved in translating it. However, that evening, as he prayed upon his knees, as was his habit, he said the Spirit of the Lord convicted him. The message was something on the order of, “You asked me for a great, divinely inspired task of translation, I sent it to you in the form of translating the Book of Mormon, and you declined.” Professor Mynardt said he could not sleep through the night because he knew that translating the Book of Mormon would get him into trouble with his university, which was owned and operated by the Dutch Reformed Church. When morning came he telephoned Elder Clark to inform him that he would begin the translation immediately.
He stood at the pulpit and described the experience. He said, “I never begin translating a book at the beginning. Writing style usually changes through a book, and becomes more consistent toward the middle. Accordingly, I opened to a random place in the middle of the Book of Mormon, and began translating.” He said, “I was startled by the obvious fact that the Book of Mormon was not authored in English. He said, “It became immediate ly apparent that what I was reading was a translation into English from some other language. The sentence structure was wrong for native English. The word choices were wrong, as were many phrases.” He said, “How many times has an Englishman said or written, ‘And it came to pass?’” We all laughed, and knew he was right, of course. He continued, “When I realized this, I knew that I had to find the original language, and translate it back into the original language, or a similar language to the original, and then proceed to translate it into Afrikaans. He listed a half-dozen languages he tried, all of which did not accommodate the strange sentence structure found in the Book of Mormon. He said, “I finally tried Egyptian, and to my complete surprise, I found that the Book of Mormon translated flawlessly into Egyptian, not modern, but ancient Egyptian. I found that some nouns were missing from Egyptian, so I added Hebrew nouns where Egyptian did not provide the word or phrase. I chose Hebrew because both languages existed in the same place anciently.” “I had no idea at that time why the Book of Mormon was once written in Egyptian, but I can tell you without any doubt, that this book was at one point written entirely in Egyptian.” I heard him say this over and over. Then, he said, “Imagine my utter astonishment when I turned to chapter one, verse one and began my actual translation and came to verse two, where Nephi describes that he was writing in the language of the Egyptians, with the learning of the Jews!” He said, “I knew by the second verse, that this was no ordinary book, that it was not the writings of Joseph Smith, but that it was of ancient origin and was in fact scripture. I could have saved myself months of work if I had just begun at the beginning. Nobody but God, working through a prophet of God, in this case Nephi, would have included a statement of the language he was writing in. Consider, how many documents written in English, include the phrase, “we are writing in English!” It is unthinkable and absolute proof of the inspired
origins of this book.
He paused, then noted, “I am one of the few people in the world that is fluent in ancient Egyptian. I am perhaps the only person fluent in ancient Egyptian who is also fluent in Afrikaans and English. And I know for a fact, that I am the only person alive who could have translated this book first into Egyptian, and then into Afrikaans. If your church ever needs an Egyptian translation of the Book of Mormon, it is sitting in my office as we speak.” We all laughed.
Professor Mynhardt spoke of many other things regarding the translation of this book, and then said, “I do not know what Joseph Smith was before he translated this book, and I do not know what he was afterward, but while he translated this book, he was a prophet of God! I know he was a prophet! I testify to you that he was a prophet while he brought forth this book! He could have been nothing else! No person in 1827 could have done what he did. The science did not exist. The knowledge of ancient Egyptian did not exist. The knowledge of these ancient times and ancient peoples did not exist. The Book of Mormon is scripture. I hope you realize this.”
“I have since been asked to translate the book you call the Doctrine and Covenants. I got part way through and set it down. It is not like the Book of Mormon. Anyone could translate it into Afrikaans. It is not scripture in the same sense that the Book of Mormon is scripture. I declare that the Book of Mormon is of ancient origin, and is scripture of the same caliber as the Old Testament, or for that matter, the New Testament.” “I have taken this book of scripture, this Book of Mormon, and presented it to my Board of Regents, and urged them to embrace it as scripture. They declined, of course. I took it to the head of our Dutch Reformed Church and demonstrated why the Book of Mormon is scripture, and urged them to at least study it, even if they did not canonize it or even share it with the people of the church. I urged them to just think what having a new and profound book of scripture could mean to the church, to my church, the Dutch Reformed Church. I pointed out that they need not become Mormons, in the same way that they did not need to become Jews to embrace the Old Testament. They considered my presentation for a very few seconds and then rejected it. They next threatened me regarding my belief in the Book of Mormon, threatened my employment, and ejected me from their presence. I am deeply disappointed, but I am not deterred. I will keep promoting this book as scripture for the remainder of my life – simply because it is scripture, and I know it.”
He paused then added, “I am not a member of your church, and do not expect to become one. I have been asked why I have not joined your church many times, and my answer is because God has not directed me to join you. If He had, I would be standing here as a fellow Mormon. Perhaps my mission in life is better served outside of your church. I haven’t studied your doctrine or your history since Joseph Smith. The only thing I know about you is that you have authentic, ancient scripture in the Book of Mormon, that your church was begun by a living and true prophet of God, and that all of the world should embrace the Book of Mormon as scripture. It simply can’t be denied. I believe every religion could embrace the Book of Mormon without becoming a Mormon. You probably disagree with that, but it is my present belief, and my message to anyone who will listen.”
I have pondered that experience for almost half of a century now. I do not know if Professor Mynhardt ever joined the church. I know my memory of his exact words is wanting, but my memory of what I felt and what I knew and how potent it was to hear his testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. It is one of those things I will never forget.
May we continue to study the Book of Mormon with an increased commitment to find the truths within that will speak to our heart and minds.
Love, Telicia
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Primaryisms
Posted by: Lori Jacobsen
Yesterday, I was thinking it would be fun to do a post every so often of things that happen in Primary. You know "kids say the darnedest things" type of posts. Well, today in primary we had something that I thought I would share.
So the topic was
"I can feel the Savior's love when I follow Jesus Christ".
The scenario that I presented was
"Lisa was excited because her friend gave her an invitation to her birthday party. When Lisa gave the invitation to her mom to read, her mom told her that the party was on Sunday.
To be like Jesus, Lisa should:"
There were several responses like;
Tell her you can't go because it is on Sunday, Celebrate with her by yourself on another day...
Then we have a young boy who says matter-of-factually, "We could cancel church."
I asked him if that is what Jesus would do.
No response, so I said probably not.
Then we get several more responses like;
You could buy her a gift, but tell her that you can't go because it is on Sunday, Ask her if she can come and play with you on a different day to celebrate, ect.
Then the same boy has his hand raised again,
so I asked him if he had another idea.
He responds, "We could have the party at the church."
I guess he just didn't want to miss the party. :0)
Mary Lucinda Cole McDonald
Posted by: Sally DeFord
This is my great, great grandmother. I have several women ancestors that I feel so connected to through reading their history. There are several things about Mary Lucinda that draw me to her. After crossing the plains, she lived in Springville where Willie and I lived after we were married. She also settled in the Heber valley where my mom lives and where I lived for several summers. I studied Native American literature at BYU and she was an interpreter and friend of the Native Americans in Utah.
Sometimes I think I'm busy? She had 13 kids, ran a farm, probably did all the cooking, made all the clothes, entertained and interpreted. Though I know very little about Mary Lucinda, I know that she was smart, capable, a hard worker, a good mother, a friend to outsiders, and a woman of faith. I also imagine how beautiful it was on their farm and all the stars they would see at night.
Mary Lucinda was born in Kirtland, Ohio in 1840. When she was 10 when she crossed the plains with her family and settled in Springville, Utah. In her youth she learned the Ute Indian language and became an interpreter. She loved to dance and participate in the Native American dances. She served with her father as an official interpreter and their home was headquarters for all Native Americans that visited Springville. She was married when she was 16. After 2 children and 5 years in Springville they moved to Heber, Utah.
For a time she worked as a cook for the men building the road through Provo Canyon. She gave birth to 13 children! She was a business woman and managed hired help on the farm and large bands of horses and cattle.
Her home in Heber was visited by Native Americans often. At least once a year they would have a huge feast where she would prepare them the "best food the land could produce." During these visits she would sit with Native Americans and speak in Ute and discuss their trials and tribulations. Even when there was tension between the white settlers and Native Americans they would still come to her house.
Her family had the first shingled roof in the valley. They raised sheep and sheared, spun and died the wool. She made the clothing for all her family members. She had hair that was so long it reached her knees when let down. She loved dancing.
She died giving birth to her 13th child at age 42. The child also died and she was buried with the child in her arms in the Heber cemetery. She outlived three of her other children that died at age 10, 14 and 3 weeks of age.
To quote the history written by her granddaughter, "She had health enough to make work a pleasure, strength enough to battle difficulties and overcome, charity enough to see good in all. She had patience and love enough to be always useful and helpful, and her faith was strong enough to soften any and all hardships she was obliged to endure. Hundreds of miles from any settlement or civilization, all they had with them was all they could get unless they created it."
This is my great, great grandmother. I have several women ancestors that I feel so connected to through reading their history. There are several things about Mary Lucinda that draw me to her. After crossing the plains, she lived in Springville where Willie and I lived after we were married. She also settled in the Heber valley where my mom lives and where I lived for several summers. I studied Native American literature at BYU and she was an interpreter and friend of the Native Americans in Utah.
Sometimes I think I'm busy? She had 13 kids, ran a farm, probably did all the cooking, made all the clothes, entertained and interpreted. Though I know very little about Mary Lucinda, I know that she was smart, capable, a hard worker, a good mother, a friend to outsiders, and a woman of faith. I also imagine how beautiful it was on their farm and all the stars they would see at night.
Mary Lucinda was born in Kirtland, Ohio in 1840. When she was 10 when she crossed the plains with her family and settled in Springville, Utah. In her youth she learned the Ute Indian language and became an interpreter. She loved to dance and participate in the Native American dances. She served with her father as an official interpreter and their home was headquarters for all Native Americans that visited Springville. She was married when she was 16. After 2 children and 5 years in Springville they moved to Heber, Utah.
For a time she worked as a cook for the men building the road through Provo Canyon. She gave birth to 13 children! She was a business woman and managed hired help on the farm and large bands of horses and cattle.
Her home in Heber was visited by Native Americans often. At least once a year they would have a huge feast where she would prepare them the "best food the land could produce." During these visits she would sit with Native Americans and speak in Ute and discuss their trials and tribulations. Even when there was tension between the white settlers and Native Americans they would still come to her house.
Her family had the first shingled roof in the valley. They raised sheep and sheared, spun and died the wool. She made the clothing for all her family members. She had hair that was so long it reached her knees when let down. She loved dancing.
She died giving birth to her 13th child at age 42. The child also died and she was buried with the child in her arms in the Heber cemetery. She outlived three of her other children that died at age 10, 14 and 3 weeks of age.
To quote the history written by her granddaughter, "She had health enough to make work a pleasure, strength enough to battle difficulties and overcome, charity enough to see good in all. She had patience and love enough to be always useful and helpful, and her faith was strong enough to soften any and all hardships she was obliged to endure. Hundreds of miles from any settlement or civilization, all they had with them was all they could get unless they created it."
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Posted by: Cheryl Wilson
After nearly 30 years I have learned how valuable keeping a journal really is. I have to admit, I haven't done it faithfully for a couple of decades but now I know why the prophets say we should.
I was cleaning out my bookshelves yesterday, moving books around, taking some down to get rid of them; all part of my spring cleaning project. I came across two journals from many years ago and decided to take a break and browse through them. Two hours later I was still reading voraciously like this was the first time I had ever seen this stuff. I found out things about my life I had long since forgotten; things that have made me who I am and formed many of my ideas and opinions. It's important to stay in touch with who you are and why. Thank goodness I have started working on my personal history and captured some very important events before they left my sometimes sketchy memory. I have reached the time of life when I have become somewhat reflective about the things I learned from just living my life every day. Some of it was wonderful beyond belief and others not so much but it did serve as learning and growing experiences. Heavenly Father is wise in the things he asks us to do. We can certainly benefit from taking those things seriously.
After nearly 30 years I have learned how valuable keeping a journal really is. I have to admit, I haven't done it faithfully for a couple of decades but now I know why the prophets say we should.
I was cleaning out my bookshelves yesterday, moving books around, taking some down to get rid of them; all part of my spring cleaning project. I came across two journals from many years ago and decided to take a break and browse through them. Two hours later I was still reading voraciously like this was the first time I had ever seen this stuff. I found out things about my life I had long since forgotten; things that have made me who I am and formed many of my ideas and opinions. It's important to stay in touch with who you are and why. Thank goodness I have started working on my personal history and captured some very important events before they left my sometimes sketchy memory. I have reached the time of life when I have become somewhat reflective about the things I learned from just living my life every day. Some of it was wonderful beyond belief and others not so much but it did serve as learning and growing experiences. Heavenly Father is wise in the things he asks us to do. We can certainly benefit from taking those things seriously.
Friday, April 27, 2012
What I Save
Posted by: Cassa Fox
With Sean as a teacher and I as a private music teacher our income gets pretty slim and inconsistent. It is a hobby and challenge to make our money stretch...one I kind of enjoy. We DO live in a tight budget, we DO use the envelope system from Dave Ramsey, I DO buy name brand products, I DO shop at drug stores, I rarely shop at Wal-Mart, and we always have fun snacks. How.....COUPONS!!! I am that shopper with the 3 inch binder full of baseball card holders with little bits of paper that I like to view as cash. It's always exciting to find $7 mascara marked down to $3 and I have a $2 coupon!!! Wahoo. I can still look good and save my family some money. Other ways I save money: make a weekly menu based on the foods I already have in my kitchen, adjust my budget weekly, shop at the Salvation Army (they have free food), instead of cable we subscribe to hulu and netflix, and shop the sales. It's not hard, it takes some time, but it is sooo rewarding. Three blogs I follow daily are www.bargainblessings.com, www.thekrazycouponlady.com, and www.moneysavingmom.com. These ladies take all of the hard work out of it. They take the sales, let you know what coupon to use, and where to find that coupon. I make my list, take my 3 inch white binder, and off I go!!!! Let me know if you want to learn some of my tricks. I would love to share more with you!!!
With Sean as a teacher and I as a private music teacher our income gets pretty slim and inconsistent. It is a hobby and challenge to make our money stretch...one I kind of enjoy. We DO live in a tight budget, we DO use the envelope system from Dave Ramsey, I DO buy name brand products, I DO shop at drug stores, I rarely shop at Wal-Mart, and we always have fun snacks. How.....COUPONS!!! I am that shopper with the 3 inch binder full of baseball card holders with little bits of paper that I like to view as cash. It's always exciting to find $7 mascara marked down to $3 and I have a $2 coupon!!! Wahoo. I can still look good and save my family some money. Other ways I save money: make a weekly menu based on the foods I already have in my kitchen, adjust my budget weekly, shop at the Salvation Army (they have free food), instead of cable we subscribe to hulu and netflix, and shop the sales. It's not hard, it takes some time, but it is sooo rewarding. Three blogs I follow daily are www.bargainblessings.com, www.thekrazycouponlady.com, and www.moneysavingmom.com. These ladies take all of the hard work out of it. They take the sales, let you know what coupon to use, and where to find that coupon. I make my list, take my 3 inch white binder, and off I go!!!! Let me know if you want to learn some of my tricks. I would love to share more with you!!!
Love, Cassa Fox
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Anyone up for a Relief Society Blog?
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