Memo #14 (Written July 1, 2001)

To: All Pratt Adults and selected others

From: Richard Marden Pratt

Re: The Purpose of the Church

God has said: “This is my work and my glory ~ to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Moses 1:39. He has further stated that not even one hair of our head will be lost. In order to accomplish this colossal work, in the beginning, in the days of Adam, thru prophets (Adam being the first), God established the Church of Jesus Christ upon the earth...to teach His great laws and to make covenants with all believers that by obedience they may return to live in His presence and to live like Him and to be like Him. This great gift is called exaltation. Those who make and keep all the covenants will become gods in their own right and in their own place.

To gain membership in the Kingdom of God requires:

1. Faith in Jesus as our Savior, Creator, Redeemer and Judge.

2. Repentance of our wrong doings and

3. To seal this by the covenant of Baptism and Confirmation which covenant must be performed by an authorized servant of God. But this is just the beginning of the covenants one must enter into and keep to receive the Fulness of Joy. Most of the other covenants are made in a special building designated by God as a Temple. The final covenant being the sealing of husbands to wives and children to parents. There can be no eternal family relationships without this sealing covenant by an authorized servant of God.

Because of wickedness there have been times when the Lord’s church was taken from the earth to be restored at a later time. This is the last time, and the purpose of the church in this last time is to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Savior in power and glory...which event is right at our door. 

The Church has a three fold purpose:

1. To perfect the Saints. When the scriptures speak of Saints, they refer to those who have accepted Christ by being baptized into His church and none else. And many baptized members are not saints because they do not keep their covenants. 

“And He gave some apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers;

For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ;

Til we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ;

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every word of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” Ephesians 4:11-14

2. With the perfecting of the Saints comes the responsibility to Proclaim the Gospel.

For the prophet has said; “No unhallowed hand can stop the work from proceeding. The word of the Lord must go forth until it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear. Until the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah declares, the work is done.”

        And the purposes of God are that everyone of his children will hear the “Good News” , and using their agency will accept it and enter into the Covenants that will exalt them back into His presence ~ or reject it and be relegated eternally to a lesser blessing, without family, or as the Lord has said, “What doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift?...He rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift.” D & C 88:33 So we will all receive what we choose to receive. It is all a matter of choice. In order to choose, each and everyone must hear.

Thus the great missionary plan of the Church. Currently nearly 70,000 missionaries are carrying the “good news”(NOTE: WOULDN’T DAD BE EXCITED WITH THE MISSIONARY PROGRAM NOW IN 2013!) To the ends of the earth with fantastic success. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the fastest growing church in the world. Members now number over 11 million. (NOTE: 15 MILLION IN 2013!) 

When I went on my first mission in 1931-32, there were only 1600 missionaries and about ½ million members. We reached our first million in 1944 (as I remember). Now we are adding a million new members in about 3 years and snowballing rapidly.

I have spent 6 years as a missionary; Adaline spent 4 (my cousins, Max and Peggy and spouses Marge and Jim have served more than that) and we would go again if health would permit. Which brings us to the third purpose of the Church and that is to take the gospel to those who have died and never heard of the great plan. Which leads me to believe that Adaline is now engaged in a great mission as she teaches in the world of Spirits...and my daughter Kay and cousin Max also.

3. The third purpose of the Church is to see that all who have died without the “Good News” also called “the great plan of happiness” or the “Gospel of Jesus Christ” have an opportunity to hear the Gospel. In the wold of spirits which is being taught them by faithful Saints who have passed thru the gate or great adventure we call death.

Or as the prophet said: “All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the Celestial Kingdom of God.” D & C 137:7.

Also, “For this cause was the Gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the Spirit.” 1 Peter 4:6

But the ordinances of the Gospel cannot be performed in the Spirit world. The dead may accept the gospel but their baptism, eternal marriage, and other covenants must be performed here on earth by “proxy”. “Proxy” means someone doing something for someone else that they can’t do for themselves. Jesus, for example, is proxy for all mankind in overcoming death that all may be resurrected to a perfect body.

God has commanded special buildings to be built called Temples, wherein mortals acting as proxies can redeem the dead. That’s why I am spending four days a week, 4-6 hours a day in the Provo Temple as an officiator with authority from God to perform some of the ordinances of exaltation for the dead using the living as their proxies. Example: last week Susann Rowbury (my grand daughter) acted as proxy for ten deceased females; I baptized Susann for and in behalf of each one. “Jane Doe” of course can accept or reject it. But every soul that has lived or will yet live upon the earth must accept or reject it. But every soul that has ever lived or will yet live upon the earth must be taught and have the opportunity to accept or reject part or all of the perfect plan of a loving Father.

In conclusion, the Three-fold mission purpose of the Church is:

1. To Perfect the living Saints.

2. To Proclaim the Gospel to the living.

3. And to Redeem the dead.

What a perfect plan by a perfect God, our Heavenly Father, who will give to each of His children all that they are willing to receive.

To these truths I add my signature in testimony.

Richard Marden Pratt 

                         (also known as Dad, Grandpa, Great Grandpa, brother, uncle & friend)

Memo #13 (Written June 1, 2001)

Memo #13

Written June 1, 2001 added to the blog October 1, 2013

From: Grandpa Richard M. Pratt

To: All Pratt adults and Selected others

Re: LOVE, The Great Commandment

When Jesus was asked, Which is the greatest commandment? He answered, “Thou shalt love the Lord Thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Matt. 22: 37-40)

Paul speaking of married love says, “Men ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cheriseth it.....let everyone of you....so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.” (Ephesians 5: 28-33)

Therefore the ability to love is based on a mans self-esteem or self-love. During our life on earth we have a strong tendency to seek our own self-interest. We tend to seek worldly goods and the praise of others. There are three great and terrible masters which most men seek after. They are: 1. The love of money. 2. The love of power. 3. And the love of fame. Most men are enslaved by these masters to the point that they literally hate themselves and cannot love either themselves, their neighbor nor God. Because of man giving into these three masters the world currently is on a suicidal sweep to destruction.

Violence, divorce, wars, lawsuits etc. are evidence that men hate themselves and therefore cannot love but instead hate each other. And the savior said upon this commandment, LOVE, hang all the law. In other words if man hates himself by pursuing his own selfish interests he is on the road to self destruction. So, what is the answer? 

First we can only show our love for God by keeping his commandments. All of which are designed to bring us happiness and success. There is no other way.

Secondly we show our love for our neighbor (all are our neighbor, but our spouse is our closest neighbor) by treating them like we want to be treated which means a life of service, service and service to our spouse, our children, our friends and the stranger that we don’t even know.

That’s why we serve two year missions and more at our own expense. (I’ve served 6 years and Grandma 4 years) That’s why in the Church of Jesus Christ we receive calls to serve in various ways from a Bishop and higher to the boys who pass the sacrament, giving of our time and paying any expenses involved therewith. As we serve others we overcome selfishness and become more like our Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ. Every active member of the church is constantly given “calls” to serve and as he or she serves their ability to love increases until they will eventually reach the level of charity toward others called, “The pure love of Christ.”

The Savior said: “by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

If all men, then, would keep this commandment (LOVE) all the problems of the world would be solved. There would literally be no broken families, no violence, no law breakers, but peace, harmony and good will. This would envelope the earth in a mantle of love. This will be the condition of the earth during the millennium when Christ rules personally upon the earth and all who cannot evidence the “pure love of Christ” will be removed from the earth and the earth will return to its paradisiacal glory (to be treated starting with memo #15) 

To be of service is to sacrifice of our time, talents and money and to do it willingly. That means that we place the needs of others above our own. Sacrifice can be very hard, but the rewards are great. In fact the Lord has said that the rewards are beyond mans wildest imaginations. Then, to truly love we must believe in God our eternal Father in his Son, Jesus Christ and that they are the rewarders of all who diligently seek them.

To help us overcome selfishness and to help finance our service the Lord has given two other laws: 1. The law of fasting and fast offerings and 2. The law of tithing. 

To fast means to go with out food and drink for a period of time. It teaches us to control our physical bodies and our faith and spirituality grow stronger. When we fast we should also pray sincerely, for guidance and for special blessings for ourselves and others. Fasting  can be a powerful way of gaining a testimony of the reality of the Father and His Son. 

The church sets aside one Sunday each month (usually the first Sunday). During this day Faithful members fast for two meals from all food and drink and gather for a testimony sharing meeting. We give the money we save by fasting to the bishop to care for the needy. In this way we can show our love for the sick, needy, lonely and hungry and those who have other problems. It has been computed that if all people would live this simple law that it would eliminate all poverty and other ills in the whole world, and lower taxes for it would do away with all government welfare schemes, none of which succeed. It would also lower Doctor bills as fasting is very beneficial to the body. And, of course, it wouldn’t cost a penny.

The law of tithing is not new, in fact it is as old as eternity. To understand this law, we should remember that God is the source of everything we have. In the law of tithing, he commands us to return to him one-tenth of our income. The word “tithe” means “tenth”. Of course the money isn’t sent to heaven but stays right here to bless our lives in so many ways.

Tithing is a test of our faith. As we obey this commandment, the Lord promises to bless us both spiritually and temporally.

Suppose I told you that I would give you one hundred dollars if you would give me back ten. Would you do it? Our Heavenly Father has given us all we have. He asks only that we return 10% of it to him. This money is used to build meeting houses, temples and other worthwhile things. 

For example the sealing covenants that make a man and wife an eternal unit with their children and their fathers and mothers united eternally can only be done in a special building called a temple. In no other way can families be united after this life.

May I close with a description of my own experience with these 3 great laws, love (service)

Fasting and offerings, and Tithing.

The more I love by giving service, the more I receive until I literally haven’t room to contain it all. It comes from my family, my friends and the strangers I try to help.

As to Fasting  and offerings I’ve been living this law as long as I can remember and know that it is true. In fact for the past many years I have contributed each month a great deal more than the cost of the two meals. And I personally feel that fasting is a great contributor to my excellent health and activity as I live my 90th year.

I can’t remember when I haven’t paid a full  tithing and my memory goes back more than 80 years. I haven’t kept track of it but I know that it amounts to tens of thousands of dollars. It seems that the more I pay the more I receive as the Lord has promised.

Yes we can do what the Lord commands and it is the only sure way to financial security in this life but more important it opens the windows of heaven and blessings are poured out until there is not room to contain them. To this I testify boldly and firmly in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Your loving Parent, Grandpa, Brother and / or friend forever

Excerpted from our Iowa Mission Journal

Monday February 8, 1982

We have finished our first week in the MTC (Missionary Training Center). During lunch hour we were called to the front desk. There to our surprise was our Hopi Indian friend, sister, and convert, Elizabeth Williams that we had baptized in Holbrook, Arizona in 1971.

Oh that I could paint a picture of her. But words must suffice. About 5 feet tall and close to 60 years of age, face wrinkled like a prune, but few teeth left, quite rotund in body, but very slim almost pipestem legs, ill fitting shoes and clothes, but a twinkling eye and happy smile coupled with a lilting spirit covers all the rest and humbles one to be in her presence with her child like faith in Jesus. 

She had walked many blocks timidly wondering how she would find us in the white mans maze of technical wilderness. But find us she did. The weather was cold and the walks snow covered and slippery. She had endured all this to give us $75. Three twentys, one ten and one five dollar bills. 

She said we had loaned it to her many years ago and she would have paid it sooner but we were always gone. She wanted us to have it before we went to a foreign country again. To her Iowa is foreign. Adaline tried to get her to keep part, at least one $20 bill, but she wouldn’t hear of it. We had a tearful goodbye and she left.

Memo #12 (written May 1, 2001)

Memo #12

May 1, 2001 (blogged September 1, 2013)

To: All Pratt Adults & selected others

Re: “What Comes Next?”

From Dad, Grandpa etc. Richard M. Pratt

In the memory of man, three questions have intrigued them:

1. Did we exist before our birth?

2. Why are we here on earth?

3. Where will we go at death?

All of these have been answered by God through His prophets. Previous memos have answered the first two questions. Briefly reviewing, we did exist before birth as spirit children of our Heavenly Parents, and we are here on earth to get a physical body and to prove ourselves. This physical body, after the changes wrought by death and resurrection, will become immortal and those who obey all of the laws will even be like God and will be the sons and daughters of God. Indeed, they will be Gods. Why shouldn’t children become like their parents?

“Now to the subject, “What happens at death?” Simply, our spirit bodies leave our physical bodies which return to the earth from whence they came while our spirits return to the God who gave them life. Or as the Prophet said:

Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.

And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil—for behold, they have no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them, and take possession of their house—and these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil.

Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection.”

Alma 40:11-14

All mankind is free in this life to choose or as the Prophet Nephi says:

“Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit.”

2 Nephi 2: 27-28

Many other prophets in all the scriptures have spoken on the subject, but these must suffice for this brief page.

In summary, then: Those who have not chosen the way of life and are not prepared when they die go into a condition called darkness and not knowing what to expect, wait there in an awful fear as well as the righteous in Paradise who, knowing what to expect and prepared, both wait for the resurrection and final judgement. But wait, all is not lost for the disobedient for in their state of misery, they will be visited by those from Paradise and they will teach these who are in the grasp of Satan how to escape. As they refused the teachings of Christ while on earth, now in their miserable condition, they will have another chance to accept Him and receive a glorious resurrection and a judgement that will bring them a certain amount of eternal happiness, but not what they could have had if they had obeyed God while they were in mortal life.

First as to the resurrection; Those in Paradise will be resurrected at the Coming of Jesus Christ which is very soon. And those who accept Jesus in their misery will, soon after, also be resurrected. And during that long wait, they, too, will learn by their own sufferings what Jesus suffered. In other words, having refused His sufferings for their sins, they must pay for their own sins by suffering pain and anguish as He did.

Now to try and clarify—at the Coming of the Savior, there will be three groups of people:

1. Those who accepted Jesus while in the flesh and obeyed His commandments.

2. This group will be the wicked who accepted Jesus in the Spirit World after their death.

3. And these are the wicked who insist on paying for their own sins by their own suffering.

The first group will be resurrected at Christ’s coming; the second group shortly thereafter, while the stubborn last allotment will have to wait 1,000 years until they are cleansed of their sins by their own suffering. Finally, every knee will bend and every head will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is their Savior and there is none other.

Then comes the final judgement. God has prepared at least 3 planets for these 3 groups called, Celestial, Terrestrial and Telestial. To give we mortals some idea of what they are like, the Celestial is likened to the sun, the Terrestrial to the moon and the Telestial to the stars. Any sensible person given a choice of three presents so compared would, of course, choose the Celestial or Sun.

We know that this earth, after it is cleansed and purified by fire, will become the Celestial Kingdom. That is what the Lord meant when He said: “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5

Those who refused Christ in mortality but accepted Him after death, will be placed in a Terrestrial sphere. While those who resisted to the end and payed for their own sins will be on a Telestial planet, which, even there, will be more glorious than man can imagine.

Those of the higher kingdoms may visit and will govern the lower glories, but the lower can never visit the higher for they, like a fish out of water, would perish. And God has promised that none of us will ever cease to exist.

There will be stubborn ones who will refuse all three glories and will be cast out into outer darkness to dwell with Satan eternally in Hell (outer darkness). But I have no fear that any of us will be that stupid.

But I am concerned that quite a few of our family need to make some changes in their lifestyle or be separated from the family and be eternally denied a family.

After baptism, there are other ordinances and covenants to be made with God in His Holy Temples by men holding authority to do so. This I testify in the Name of Jesus Christ Amen.

My love to each of you,

Dad, Grandpa, brother, uncle, friend etc.

Richard Marden Pratt

ANY OF YOU WHO SAVED YOUR MEMOS MAY WANT TO GO TO THIS ONE AND RE read the part titled “Miracle on Ice” the true incident in the lives of Gibb and Sheryl’s boys, Dustin & Kevin Van Orman as told by Kevin.

God lives his plan is real for each one of us. He put us here to help each other make it safely back to him and we can!

Memo #17 (Written October 1, 2001)

Memo 17 - October 1, 2001 (added to Dad’s blog August 1, 2013)

To: All Adult Pratts and selected others

Re: World Condition at the Second Coming

Before I continue last months theme of world conditions at the time of the imminent second Coming of Christ, and because of the horrible tragedy imposed upon this nation by evil men in the destruction of property and the murder of more than 5000 people, I will parenthetically insert in this memo, why this is happening and this tragic incident is only the beginning of the horrors that man Is inflicting upon his fellow beings and it will continue to escalate until the whole world will be one vast battle field with no mercy shown as the human race is reduced to only 2/3s its population and still the survivors will not repent and accept God as their father and Jesus as their Savior. See Old Testament (Joel) and (Revelation Ch. 9)

An ancient prophet, Isaiah nearly 3000 years ago, sums it up with these words: “ the earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.” (Isaiah Ch. 24:5-6 also read 25:1-4 and 24: 19-23)

Isaiah is speaking of our day and clearly states that the people of the world (here after just called “world”) are guilty of three offenses 1. Transgression of God’s law, 2 changing the ordinances, 3. And breaking of the covenant.

I will address #3 first. What is the covenant? In a few words it is:

“He that receiveth my servants receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth My Father; and he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s Kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him. And this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the Priesthood. Therefore, all those who receive the Priesthood, receiveth this oath and covenant of my Father, which he cannot break, neither can it be moved. But whoso breaketh this covenant after he hath received it, and altogether turneth therefrom, shall not have forgiveness of sins in this world nor in the world to come. (Doctrine and Covenants 84:36-41)

The promise of receiving all that God has, called a covenant, began with Adam and Eve and God has attempted to renew this covenant from generation to generation down to the present time but with little success. In the modern business world we refer to a covenant as a contract. Someone contracts to buy a car with monthly payments. If he makes all the payments he receives the title. But miss any one payment and he looses the car and all he has paid in even if it is the final payment. The contract is made valid by the signatures of both parties plus witnesses signatures. Then notarized and recorded in the local records.

God’s contract - covenant becomes current and valid by certain actions called, “ordinances.” There are several ordinances, I will only mention a few:

The first ordinance is to repent of sins (transgressing the law of God) and accept Jesus as the Savior and to witness to the world that they do so by the ordinance of baptism by immersion in water by a man authorized of God to do so. The authority this man holds is called Priesthood. Which is given to all baptized males according to their worthiness and age.

The Lord has specified that no one under 8 years old should be baptized. He tells why in the following: “For awful is the wickedness to suppose that God saveth one child because of baptism, and the other must perish because he hath no baptism.”...Little children cannot repent.” they can’t sin until they are old enough to recognize right from wrong. Which the Lord says begins at age 8.

There are other ordinances many of which can only be performed in Holy Places called Temples and only for members who by obedience can qualify for a recommend which will allow them to enter therein and receive the ordinances that will make families eternal. God calls this “Eternal Lives.”  All who do not accept these Temple Ordinances will enter into the Spirit World at death with neither roots (ancestors) nor branches (children) what a dreary future that would be.

Also in the Temple we can perform these ordinances for our dead who never had a chance to receive them while alive. What a wonderful plan, none will be left out. From Adam to the present time all who would have accepted the ordinances will have them performed by the living.

In conclusion let us look at the law of God which is go glibly trampled under foot by the “world.” there are not many but if we break anyone of them we are guilty of breaking them all. (James 2:10) Hence we all need to repent.

The 10 Commandments given to Moses

1. Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.

2. Thou shalt make no graven images.

3. Thou shalt not take my name in vain.

4. Thou shalt keep the Sabbath Day Holy.

5. Honor thy Parents.

NOTE: Keep these first 5 and we will find the rest easy!

6. Thou shalt not kill.

7. Thou shalt not commit sexual sin.

8. Thou shalt not steal.

9. Thou shalt not lie.

10. Thou shalt not covet.

These are basic. There are a few more. The following will not be all inclusive and tho I’ll number them to show how few there are. They really have no number as the first 10 have.

11. Missionary work. This good news must sound in every ear both on earth and in the world of the dead until all have heard and accepted or rejected “All God has to give.” NOTE; only a few will accept it in full, more will accept Jesus but not the fulness of the father. The bulk of the world will reject it hence the terror of wars, storms, drought, etc. etc. and a final cleansing of the earth by fire to remove all the filth man has blighted this beautiful earth with.

12. Tithes and offerings. NOTE: No person can pay Tithes and offerings without receiving blessings till they can’t contain them.

13. Prayer

14. Genealogy work, finding our dead and performing all the ordinances for them that they may have claim, if they so choose, to receive “all the Father has to give.”

15. Receiving the Temple ordinances that will make us an eternal family. Yet even in the Church of Jesus Christ so few members are doing this.

The Savior said: “for strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth to the exaltation and the continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me. Doctrine and Covenants 132: 22

Well that’s about it. Yes there are a few more, but they are more admonitions than they are laws such as “love your enemy”, “follow the prophet”, “Do unto others”. Etc.  But all the laws can be summed up in ONE “Love the Lord thy God with all your heart, might, mind and strength.”

Now why the importance of law, God’s law, which is perfect and which must be lived to inherit “all that God has to give.”

1. He that receiveth my law and doeth it the same is my disciple. (D & C 42:2)

2. They who are not sanctified by the law inherit another kingdom. (D & C 88:34)

3. That which is governed by law is preserved by law. Example: More than 95% of all traffic accidents are the result of someone breaking the law, intentionally or otherwise.

4. And many more.

So my beloved family and friends, love God’s law, it is the only thing that can save the world from complete destruction, from total terrorism, that will wax stronger and stronger in spite of all that legitimate governments can do.

Come unto Christ all ye that are weary and heavy laden; lay your burdens at his feet and find the happiness and peace that only they find who do so. Do not procrastinate the day of your repentance. For we are all in the position of those in the recent tragedy many of who were instantly vaporized.

I LOVE YOU ALL!

As I sit and type Dad’s letters I feel the spirit of what he is trying to help us understand! I told him that at times I feel moved to add my testimony to his. He gave me permission to do so. I watch as he studies and works to bring us closer to the Savior and to that Eternal family we can be and I know what he tells us is true. I don’t just hope it is true but I KNOW it is! I feel such a love for our brother Jesus Christ. He did indeed pave the way for us to become like our Heavenly Parents. Sometimes a principal of the gospel seems hard to understand but it is my personal witness that if we embrace them and live them and internalize them we come to know of the truthfulness of each principal just as Dad has come to know. Joy and happiness come by living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I know this is TRUE. In the Name of Jesus Christ Amen (Rose Marie Pratt Rowbury)

I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.

(Doctrine and Covenants 82:10)

Dear Uncle Richard, Memo 16 came today. How I love getting these notes from you. I make copies for Lorette and Bill, and keep the originals in my journal. It seems that every month, I find something, waiting, just for me! I’m sure the rest of the family feels the same.... Stay well, thanks again for the memos, Love,  Deb Peters

Hello Brother Pratt, Thank you for your newsletter. I must set my sights higher also as there is so much each of us can do, with the Lord’s help! ......Our world must have faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ as the book of Alma (in the Book of Mormon) teaches. I’m grateful for prophets, past and present and future. May all the world also know of them is what is needed.....Love, Dan

(Dan is one of Richard and Adaline’s Iowa converts! Like a son!)

Kris Newman (Rose’s son-in-law) wrote a paper for his college class on his hero. It is a great paper about Grandpa. He says in essence this is the best hero. Thanks Kris, Great paper and the greatest of heros! It is important to look up to those who have gone nobly before us. We can safely follow their example.

Dad was looking for the lines to a poem he had memorized years ago and Rachel Rowbury a granddaughter went in search and found it! We will include two of the 12 verses here and the web sight. You might want to check it out!

The Ladder of St. Augustine by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882)

http://www.library.utoronto.ca/utel/rp/poems/longfe33.html

The heights by great men reached and kept                  Standing on what too long we bore

were not attained by sudden flight,                with shoulders bent and downcast eyes,

but they, while their companions slept,                     we may discern--unseen before--

were toiling upward in the night.                   A path to higher destinies.

President Hinckley shows us the way (The Friend magazine October 2001 page 34)

1. “Go forward, returning good for evil, being helpful and kind and generous. I remind you of the teachings of our Lord concerning these matters....let us be good people. Let us be friendly people. Let us be neighborly people. Let us be what members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ought to be.”

2. “Whether it be going into the mission field, living the word of Wisdom, paying one’s tithing, it is all the same. It is the faith within us that is evidenced (shown) in all we do.....

Faith is the basis of testimony. Faith underlies loyalty to the Church. Faith represents sacrifice, gladly given in moving forward the work of the Lord. The Lord has commanded us to take upon ourselves “the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to (defend yourselves against) the wicked” (Doctrine and Covenants 27:17)

3. “.....Let us go forth with a stronger resolve to live the gospel, to be more faithful, to be better....sons and daughters....This is God’s holy work.....Jesus Christ stands at it’s head. He is our immortal Savior and Redeemer. His revelation is the source of our doctrine, our faith, our teaching.....Our individual testimonies of these truths are the basis of our faith. We must nurture them (help them grow) .....We can never lay them aside. Without them we have nothing. With them we have everything.”

Mom (Grandma Adaline) always made the most mouth watering delicious foods. Plum duff, apple crisp or pies, rice pudding, raisin filled sugar cookies, tender rolls, chewy delicious bread, and on wintery days we could come home from school to find the dough for donuts ready to fry. She had planned it just right so we were a part of the making and in the process the memories grew! We went to the china hutch and chose a special tea cup for hot chocolate and had a mini tea party with the warm donuts which we had sugared well. We always cherished the donut holes. Funny how even putting rice pudding together and such simple things somehow reminds me of mom. 

It seems appropriate to include the best apple crisp recipe as we are eating and enjoying apples from Dad’s wonderful garden. APPLE CRISP from the Rowbury kitchen 9 x 13 inch pan spray with pam then peel and slice apples to mostly fill the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.CRISP: 2 cubes of margarine softened not melted. 2 cups sugar one brown one white.

2 cups oats. 2 cups flour. Cinnamon to your taste. Mix this with a fork and put over apples. Bake at 350* for 45 minutes don’t let it burn. Ovens vary! For the adventuresome try adding raisins and even chopped walnuts for an extra treat. Serve with ice cream or cold milk and enjoy!

Memo # 11 (Written April 1, 2001)

Memo # 11

July 1, 2013 (written April 1, 2001)

From: Dad, Grandpa Pratt etc.

To: All Pratt family adults and selected others

Re: “Origin of the Great Plan of Happiness” or “Gospel”

The Gospel has always been. It is eternal and is embodied in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Jesus did not give it to the people of the earth during His mortal ministry. He simply restored it as He had given it to Adam and Eve 4000 years prior to His mortal life on earth. Neither was it new with Adam and Eve, for the same gospel has been used on all the earths created and peopled by God through and by His First Begotten Son Jesus Christ. (But we only have the details for this earth.)

Adam and Eve were taught the gospel and Adam’s baptism is recorded as follows: “He was caught away by the spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water. And was laid under the water and was brought forth out of the water. And he heard a voice out of heaven saying; ‘Thou art baptized with fire, and with the Holy Ghost...behold thou art one in me, a Son of God, and thus may all become my Sons. Amen.” (Pearl of Great Price 6:64-69)

Eve’s baptism is not recorded, but she would have been baptized by Adam who clearly received the Priesthood and authority to baptize after his baptism as it is recorded in verse 67 of chapter 6 of the Pearl of Great Price.

But their descendants for the most part did not believe them and became carnal, sensual and worldly. That is, the things of the world were more appealing than the promises of everlasting happiness and so it was that Adam’s descendants removed themselves so far from God that God found it necessary to cover the earth with water–which event happened about 1635 years after Adam and Eve had had their first child. (Or about 2365 B.C.)

From the Great Flood to Jesus’ birth, God made repeated efforts to restore the Gospel through prophets. These are called Dispensations. The first effort was through the prophet Abraham. He was born just about the time of Noah’s death almost exactly half way between the fall of Adam and the birth of Jesus–as Adam preceded Jesus by 4000 years. Abraham was born 2000 years after the Fall and about 2000 B.C.

The gospel was restored through Abraham, and in a few centuries resulted in a people numbering about 3 million souls whom the Lord named “Israel”.

Israel was chosen before their mortal birth, even before the earth was created, to be God’s people and to do His work of saving all His family. But Israel followed the world and were destroyed as a nation and scattered throughout all the nations of the world.

About 600 years (1400 B.C.) after Abraham, the great prophet Moses started a new dispensation of the Gospel with varying success. But a thousand years later (about 400 B.C.), the final prophet Malachi appears, teaches the gospel, rebukes wickedness and prophecies of OUR DAY (as did the other Old Testament prophets.)

This brief outline does not mention many other prophets and dispensations such as Lehi who left Jerusalem 600 B.C. and founded a new dispensation of the Gospel in America and stands as a second witness of Christ.

Jesus then appeared on earth in person 1 B.C. and again restored “The Great Plan of Happiness” with prophets and Apostles. But it was even more short lived than previous dispensations. The wicked world crucified people who had joined the Church of Jesus Christ 

~ 2 ~ 

through faith, repentance and baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost.

By 98 A.D. the church had again been destroyed, only one Apostle remained, “John the Beloved”, and he was a prisoner condemned to work in the mines on the island of Patmos about 30 miles from the Western shore of modern Turkey.

In his bondage, John received a great revelation, part of which is recorded in the final book of the New Testament and titled “The Book of Revelation.” in this great revelation, John details the history of the world down to its destruction by fire and the rescue of the living righteous and the resurrection of the dead righteous and through to the second coming of Jesus Christ...(Which is so very soon and I will enlarge on this in a future memo.)

By the time of the destruction of the Great Roman Empire in the fifth century A.D., because of wickedness, all Priesthood Authority had been removed from the earth. Confusion and Apostasy resulted; the whole world sank into a 1000 year period known in world history as “The Dark Ages.”

Having cast God out of their lives, the suffering was terrible. Life expectancy sank to less than 30 years. And living conditions for the so called nobility would not be acceptable today by the poorest of people.

But, as prophesied previously, God again started a new dispensation. It began with Gutenberg’s invention of portable type and the printing press about 1456 A.D. withing fifty years Europe was flooded with books and a new revival and knowledge of God was made available to the world. America was discovered, the United States founded, and the stage set in which God could again restore the “Great Plan of Happiness: in one last dispensation to save all who WILL to be saved. 

This dispensation was headed by the prophet Joseph Smith and is the greatest of all times. This is because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not only available once again to mortals, but is also being taught and made available to the great hosts of the dead. They can receive the gospel in the Spirit World, and mortals on earth, in Temples constructed for that purpose, can vicariously be baptized and perform for the dead all other ordinances necessary to unite families and prepare all who will accept it to enter back into the presence of God and dwell eternally with Him. And thus the great Plan of Happiness will have been completed for all who will accept it. Unfortunately “Strait (means narrow) is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth into the exaltation and continuation of the lives (eternal families) and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world, neither do you know me.” D & C 132:22

Oh please, my dear family, receive it and we will rejoice together eternally! I will soon be going to the world of spirits to prepare to receive all who will to do so. I DON’T WANT ANYONE MISSING! I want each and everyone of you to be able to join our family there because you chose to accept Jesus as your Savior through the simple process of FAITH, REPENTANCE, BAPTISM AND THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST.

I LOVE YOU!

Dad, Grandpa etc.

Richard Marden Pratt

Those of you who have the printed copies may want to get out your memo folder and read the things submitted. They are all good but I’m choosing not to retype them here. God Bless us all to live up to our noble birth right and stay true to the Great Plan of Happiness!