Doctrine and Covenants Lesson #43 "Take Upon You My Whole Armour"

THE ARMOUR OF GOD

     Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
     For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
     Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
     Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
     And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
     Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
     And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
                                                              (Ephesians 6:11-17)

THE ARMOUR OF MORONI

     ...Moroni, had prepared his people with breastplates and with arm–shields, yea, and also shields to defend their heads, and also they were dressed with thick clothing--
     Now the army of Zerahemnah was not prepared with any such thing; they had only their swords and their cimeters, their bows and their arrows, their stones and their slings; and they were naked, save it were a skin which was girded about their loins; yea, all were naked, save it were the Zoramites and the Amalekites;
     But they were not armed with breastplates, nor shields—therefore, they were exceedingly afraid of the armies of the Nephites because of their armor, notwithstanding their number being so much greater than the Nephites.
                                                                  (Alma 43:19-21)

Just as Moroni outfitted his soldiers with armour which Zerahemnah's army did not have, we as Christian Soldiers have armour that Satan and his troops do not have.  It doesn't matter if there are less in the Army of God; the armour makes each member much less vulnerable and much more able in battle than the soldiers of Satan.  With the Armour of God, we are certain to win.

LOINS GIRT ABOUT WITH TRUTH

The loins were considered the seat of the emotions and passions in Biblical times.  Jesus said things such as, "My bowels are filled with compassion toward you." (See, for example, 3 Nephi 17:6.)  The reproductive organs are also in the loins.  The human passions and emotions can be  protected from sin and error by being "girt about with truth," which is a knowledge of things as they were, as they are, and as they will be (D&C 93:24). Truth gives us the ability and the perspective to make virtuous and compassionate choices.  "Girding up your loins" was the action of pulling up the long robe to make a shorter skirt and tying it around the waist, converting the attire to make it suitable for work or battle.  Therefore, it implies action, not just squelching passion or remaining innocent.  We must use our passions and our emotions to reach out virtuously and compassionately, to do the work of the Lord in service to others, and to act in ways of truth. "But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God" (John 3:21). 

THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

The heart, in Biblical times, refered to thoughts and motives:  "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God" (Matt. 5:8). "Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" (Matt. 5:28). "And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?" (Matt. 9:4)  "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts" (Matt. 15:19).  The protection for the heart, or in other words, the thoughts and motives, is the breastplate of righteousness.  Paul defined righteousness very specifically for us, when in his Epistle to the Thessalonians he refered to this breastplate of righteousness as "the breastplate faith and love" (1 Thess. 5:8). This aligns perfectly with the two great commandments, to love God and to love our neighbor (Matt. 22:36-39).  Our motives will always be correct if they are based on faith in God and love for him and for others.  They will always be incorrect if they are based on anything else.

FEET SHOD WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE

The feet symbolize our foundation, and also our motion.  If our feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, there is neither a better foundation, nor a better direction. "And this is my gospel—repentance and baptism by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which showeth all things, and teacheth the peaceable things of the kingdom" (D&C 39:6).  With the purity provided by the Atonement through repentance, the covenant of baptism, and the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, our foundation is sure, and as long as we continue to repent, continue to keep our covenants, and continue to listen to the Holy Ghost, nothing will be able to shake us from our firm stand, and we will always be moving in a heavenward direction.

THE HELMET OF SALVATION

The helmet of salvation protects the head, of course.  If the heart, in Biblical times, was the center of thought, what would the head be?  One interpretation might be that it is the center of receiving direction from others (the ears), providing direction and focus to the rest of the body (the eyes), and giving direction to others (the mouth).  If we are wearing the helmet of salvation, we are going to be attuned to the voice of the Lord, and we are going to have the things of eternity, or our salvation, as our priority and our direction in all that we do.  Eight times the Savior said, "He who hath ears to hear, let him hear," as he preached his gospel.  He also said, "And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things" (D&C 88:67).  Having ears to hear the Lord, and eyes single to his glory, our words will be as the words of the Lord.  "If ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels" (2 Nephi 31:13).

THE SHIELD OF FAITH

As an active defensive measure, we have the shield of faith.  A shield can protect any one of the other body parts, as an attack is waged against it.  The greater our faith, the larger and thicker the shield of protection against the wiles of the devil.  A shield requires active use, however; it is not simply a force field.  We must watch for the fiery darts, and block them with our faith.  Hard trials may come upon us, injustices may be done to us, or doubts may be inflicted upon our beliefs.  We must actively call upon our faith to endure the challenges, be healed from the hurts, or outlast the doubts.

THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT

Lastly we have the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.  The sword is the only weapon needed in the battle against evil.  It is the only article of the Armour of God to be used in the offense; its purpose is not just to defend or protect, but to conquer.  "And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God"  (Alma 31:5).  The preaching of the Word was very effective for Ammon and the Sons of Mosiah, and brought many Lamanites to become converts to the Church and friends of the Nephites.  "They did lay down the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God any more, neither against any of their brethren" (Alma 23:7).  The sword of the Spirit can also be effective for us against our enemies, if we use it in harmony with the breastplate of faith and love, as did Ammon with his benelovent service to the King of the Lamanites.

SOLDIERS OF CHRIST

Every bit of the Armour of God pertains directly to Jesus Christ and his Atonement, and is employed only through his grace.  The words of Alma the Younger to his son, Shiblon: "And now, my son, I have told you this that ye may learn wisdom, that ye may learn of me that there is no other way or means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Christ. Behold, he is the life and the light of the world. Behold, he is the word of truth and righteousness"  (Alma 38:9).



(For Elder Harold B. Lee's interpretation of the armour of God [some elements of which were included here], see http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=690&tid=2, or the LDS Institute manual, The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, p. 352-353.)

Update on Joseph's and Emma's Posterity

I ordered the new DVD mentioned in my Lesson 40 post, and it came within days. It is a half-hour documentary, not really dramatized but with a few clips from the Emma movie. Most of it is Joseph's and Emma's descendants who are members of the Church speaking, as well as other historians, giving the history of the family briefly, and then the history of the gathering they have been doing.

As of the production time of the DVD, which was very recent, there were 129 descendants of Joseph and Emma who have joined the Church, but each time they gather, they find the number has increased. There are only about 1,000 living descendants altogether, so over one-tenth have been gathered back to the Church in these fourth and fifth generations, the generations in which it was prophecied by Elder George A. Smith that their children would return!

A few people claiming, through their family's oral history, to be descendants of Joseph Smith through plural wives have gone through DNA testing, and all have been proved not to be descended from Joseph Smith, so all of the known descendants of Joseph are Emma's children. (See http://en.fairmormon.org/Joseph_Smith/Polygamy/Children_of_polygamous_marriages for explicit test results. The results are also noted in the DVD.)

"I believe that Joseph and Emma are deeply involved from beyond the veil in all the things that are unfolding in our lives today." --Gracia Jones, Great-Great Granddaughter

(Source: "Children of Joseph: The Unknown Story" DVD)

Doctrine and Covenants Lesson #41 Every Member A Missionary

(D&C 1:4-5,30; 65; 109:72-74; 123:12; OH p. 116-117, 124-125)

A LOVE STORY

Every missionary story is a love story, because missionary work is all about love.

"For God so loved the world,

that he gave his only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in him

should not perish,

but have everlasting life."

(John 3:16)

"Beloved, if God so loved us,

we ought also to love one another."

(1 John 4:11)

"And faith, hope, charity, and love,

with an eye single to the glory of God,

qualify [us] for the work."

(D&C 4:5)

This is why we do missionary work: because we love God, we love his gospel, and we love people. But senior couple missionary stories have an extra element of love: the love of the husband and wife companions for each other.

This is that kind of a love story.

My great-uncle, James Rowell Leavitt Wyatt was born in Wellsville, Utah on July 31, 1895. He didn't look like other babies; he had a large purple birthmark that covered the entire right side of his face.  He wanted to serve in the military during World War I but was turned down because of the blindness in one eye caused by the birthmark. This was a disappointment to him.  He wanted to serve a mission for the church instead, but his father would only allow one son to serve, and that honor went to my grandfather, Jim's brother. Despite this double disappointment, Uncle Jim kept a life-long goal to serve a mission one day.

He married a kind and beautiful woman, Janette Bradshaw Bailey, and had a large family, and when that family was raised, they applied for the opportunity to serve a senior mission. With great joy they received the call to serve in the Tongan Mission. The Tongan Mission was made up of many small islands in the South Pacific. Uncle Jim and Aunt Janette were assigned to the island of Niue (nee-oo-ay), a very small land mass of 12 x 18 miles (about the size of Bear Lake on the Utah/Idaho border). The island of Niue is very isolated, many miles from any major island. Now it's an exotic, although remote, travel destination, served by a weekly flight on Air New Zealand, but in those days, the early '60s, the only transportation on or off the island was by boat. The ship came once a month, and left again later the same day.

In addition to teaching the gospel, Aunt Janette taught the islanders to quilt, and to play the piano for their church meetings, and to use their native fruit to make something completely new and wonderful: banana bread! Uncle Jim and Aunt Janette loved the people of Niue, and the islanders loved them.

"Now therefore, ye are no longer strangers and foreigners,

but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God."

(Eph. 2:19)

Janette Bradshaw Bailey Wyatt & James Rowell Leavitt Wyatt

in front of a banana tree on the island of Niue, Circa 1963.

As their 18-month mission was drawing to a close, Aunt Janette was suddenly taken very ill with a heart attack. She was in severe pain.  Uncle Jim and another elder administered to her, but she got no better.  They called for the doctor, who came to their home and then rushed her to the British hospital on the island (Lord Liverpool Hospital), but they could not save Aunt Janette.  Uncle Jim held her in his arms as she suffered. Finally she relaxed in his embrace, said, "Happy birthday, Dad," and took her last breath.  He had not remembered until then that it was his birthday, July 31st, 1963.  (This was, coincidentally, the very day that I was born.  Perhaps we passed each other on the way.)

The boat had just come and gone the day before and there would be no getting on or off the island for another month. The heat of the island required a burial within 24 hours. Janette Bradshaw Bailey Wyatt was laid to rest just outside the island church the following day. Uncle Jim conducted a beautiful funeral service for her, preached a sermon, and dedicated her grave without the comfort of his children and relatives in his grief, but he had a greater comfort, for

Neither death, nor life...
shall be able to separate us from the love of God,

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

(Romans 8:38-39)

Uncle Jim preached the gospel and served the people of Niue for the remainder of the month.

The boat finally came, and Uncle Jim began the long journey home without his beloved wife. It was a Sunday, and as they put out to sea, some of the sailors asked him to conduct a church service for them, and so he continued his missionary work as he traveled.  When Uncle Jim arrived home, his family and friends gathered around him and held a memorial service for Aunt Janette.

She remained buried on Niue for three years while the Church worked through the necessary red tape to bring her body back to the United States.  The Latter-day Saint islanders made her grave a shrine. They built a little picket fence around it so the animals wouldn't disturb it. They brought fresh flowers to the grave often. They had loved and respected Aunt Janette and they grieved her passing.

After I wrote this post, one of those children who shooed away chickens and dogs from her grave wrote to me.  His name is Joseph Pouha, and he was seven years old at the time.  He added a wonderful perspective to the story which I am including here.

 

Joseph Pouha with his wife and children

When the news hit the island that the Church hoped to exhume Aunt Janette's body, the nonmember islanders were aghast and opposed, for it was in violation of all cultural beliefs and practices to ever disturb a body, and even worse, to allow an outsider to do it.

The Church members had come through a period of terrible persecution, both physical and emotional, when this happened.  Joseph's mother, Vetesenelia "Foli" Pouha, one of the original 26 converts, had been baptized by cover of night, and was abused and disowned when her family found out.  Then she had been greatly persecuted again when she decided to marry a returned missionary and outsider from Tonga, Nafetalai "Feki" Pouha.  You may have seen a Hollywood movie about Feki's mission on the island of Tonga:  He was Elder John Groberg's companion in Disney's movie, The Other Side of Heaven.  (If you haven't seen the movie, do it! Or read Elder Groberg's book of the same name which is also wonderful and, of course, more accurate.)  Feki spent his adult life gaining the love and trust of the Niueans through his work in the construction arm of the government, his service in the Church, and his kindness and aid to other people, especially ministers of other religions.

Things had smoothed over until Aunt Janette's death and possible exhuming riled everyone up again.  There were heated conversations in meetings between the government, the other ministers and the LDS authorities.  Often it was shouted that digging up a grave was the work of tevolo (the devil), and the question was asked, what islander would dare to do such a thing?  The answer came from Feki Pouha.  He would be willing to do it.  And because of his stature among the people, because they knew his heart and his love, the act was no longer questioned and he was allowed to do it in peace, with no disturbance. A young elder who was serving a mission in Niue named David Huddy agreed to help. Since he was Hawaiian, he did not have the same cultural restraints as the Niueans.

Brother Pouha spent a week in preparation, instructing those who would help him, and making sure that all possible protocol was followed, and all reverence was observed.  A small white linen tent was erected around the grave in the mission home yard.  Little Joseph stood close by the tent and heard his father pronounce a priesthood blessing on the body of Sister Wyatt.  He gave charge to those present, "both on this side of the veil and legions of Aunty Wyatt's family on the other side of the veil to watch and take care that all would proceed with the will of God."

The casket was exhumed at night and transported in a box by bicycle to the ship in darkness, so that any Niueans taking passage on the ship would not be frightened by its presence.

Brother and Sister Huddy

When her body arrived back in Utah, a formal funeral was finally held, and she was re-buried in the Wellsville Cemetery.

"So being affectionately desirous of you,

we were willing to have imparted unto you,

not the gospel of God only,

but also our own souls,

because ye were dear unto us."

(1 Thess. 2:8)

James and Janette Wyatt served their long-awaited mission with faith and love and gave the ultimate sacrifice for the spreading of the gospel to the islands of the Pacific.  Feki and Foli Pouha have also served the Kingdom of God in many ways which are ever increasing.  Foli became the Church's first accredited Polynesian genealogist and also helped translate the Book of Mormon into the Niuean language.  Feki served missions to Tonga and Nieua, and together they served a mission to Hawaii.  Brother and Sister Pouha eventually moved to Utah where Feki, who had been very ill, died two weeks later.  When the government of Nieu heard of the passing of Brother Feki, they closed their offices for a week to honor the man that became their servant leader.  Their children and grandchildren are continuing their legacy and have served missions throughout the world, including Puerto Rico, Uganda, and Colorado.

My great thanks goes to Joseph Pouha and David Huddy for sharing "the rest of the story" with me.  As Brother Pouha wrote in his e-mail, "There is a Niuean saying, 'Koe tagata, koe tagata motu, ka koe nakai koe motu tu taha,' which means in English, 'Every man is an island, but not an island to himself.'  [Two beautiful islands] may seem far apart, separated by miles of water, but if someone could reach down deep and unplug the water, we will find that both islands [are] connected."  So it is with all peoples of the world, in all times, all children of the same Father.

(Source: Carolyn J. Wyatt with Jane Wyatt Salisbury [daughter], unpublished manuscript; additional contributions made by granddaughter, Suzanne (see comments below), and personal correspondence with Joseph Archie Pouha and David Huddy.