A Child's Prayer is Answered

A beautiful Primary song asks an important question:

"Heavenly Father, are you really there, and do you hear and answer every child's prayer?"

Six-year-old Sara Emma Beard, my great aunt, never forgot what happened one day when her mother sent her to their grain bin in Wilford, Idaho, for wheat for the chickens. When she wrote her life story 45 years later, the Spirit she felt during that childhood errand remained  in her heart, because from that moment, she never questioned that God hears and answers prayers.  In her words:

“When I got inside the building I looked back and found the building completely surrounded by hungry cattle. I dared not to go out for fear of being trampled to death.

I was so frightened that the only thing I could think of was to get down on my knees and pray. I did, and when I looked out, there was not a critter in sight. My prayers have been answered many times.”

The Primary song answers its own question:

"Pray, He is there; speak, He is listening. You are His child; His love now surrounds you. He hears your prayer; He loves the children. Of such is the kingdom, the kingdom of heaven."

The Three Wise Men

Not these guys, I’m talking about three other wise men today. 

 Wise Man #1: My Great, Great, Great Uncle Creighton Hawkins

Times were lean in the 1860's in the frontier city of Salt Lake. It was a daily struggle to acquire basic necessities, yet the Prophet Brigham Young encouraged the saints to balance their lives between work, sleep, and wholesome recreation.  

Young Creighton worked to support his widowed mother, but in the evenings looked forward to socializing to be well rounded. He was old enough to go to dances, and looking for a wife, yet there were no funds to pay for the luxury of  entertainment. With pioneer perseverance and ingenuity, he used the resources he had to enjoy life and find the girl of his dreams. In his life story, he equipped:

“I would take a small sack of flour or squash under one arm and a girl under another and go for a wonderful time at the dance.”

   

 Wise Man #2: Johnny Lingo
 
The Polynesian seminary movie icon of 1969, was brilliant. He said, “If you truly value a girl you must wisely show it. Love is a most costly commodity. The more you are willing to pay, the more valuable the prize.” 

When bargaining for the hand of the girl of his dreams, Mahana, her father suggested a price of three cows. Johnny replied, "Three cows is many, but not enough for Mahana. I will pay eight cows."  

Mahana then knew her worth and to the astonishment of the village, who previously found Mahana ugly, her true beauty emerged. 


Wise Man #3: My Brother-in-law Neil Kay Birch

With the creativity of Creighton and the wisdom of Johnny Lingo, Neil would have fit in just fine in the pioneer courting scene. 

During his dating years, there were several teachers at Skyline High School in Idaho Falls that were happy to see Neil coming into their room. They knew that for the bargain price of only $5 they could buy a burlap bag full of some of the very best Idaho spuds when Neil needed cash for a date.  

He wasn't a big spender.  $5 worth of spuds was all he needed to buy tickets to a dance or a movie.  (My sister Sandi McCracken knew the way to a man's heart and always offered to cook dinner before their dates.)

Although he probably laughed at it, I’m guessing Neil watched the Johnny Lingo video carefully in Seminary, because although previous girlfriends got a single $1 rose, when he took Sandi to the prom, he wanted her to know that she was many times better than the other girls, and he brought her a beautiful corsage that cost $3.50!   

Sandi was sure she had truly caught Neil's eye when he brought that corsage, paid for dance tickets and even ordered formal pictures. She knew the tiny trunk of Neil's car, a compact Opal, wouldn't hold much more that one sack of spuds, but somehow she had become a two sacks of spuds woman.

The world needs more wise men who understand how to practically apply Proverbs 31:10 and at the same time make women feel valued.

 "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies."

BSA, Bicycles and Pandemics

May 21, 1935, the Idaho Falls Post Register reported that 16-year-old Kenneth Speas was among those selected to attend the 1st National Boy Scout Jamboree, the largest gathering of Boy Scouts ever, with 30,000 Scouts coming to Washington DC from all over the world on August 21, 1935. 

The Teton Peaks Council Delegation Selected to Attend the World Jamboree 1935

Each scout was responsible for his own travel expenses, due before departure, and there were only three short months to earn the money. The large Speas family of 10 had a tight budget, just covering expenses from month to month. Dennis, Kenneth’s youngest brother, was proud to relate how the entire Speas family worked together, hoeing beets throughout the summer, earning money to make this dream come true for Kenneth.

Funds from this cooperative effort exceeded their goal, and the bonus money was used to purchase a bicycle for the siblings to share. 

Quentin, Dennis, Maxine, Rex and Veda take turns riding the bicycle of '35.

As they rode up and  down the street in Woodville, the Speas children knew that blessings come to families who work together on a common goal.

Unfortunately, the very first Boy Scout Jamboree became known as the Jamboree that wasn’t, due to a serious outbreak of infantile paralysis, the disease we now call polio. Health and government authorities and the BSA agreed that holding a Jamboree that year presented unreasonable risk and was a bad idea.

On what would have been the beginning day of the jamboree in Washington DC, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his keynote speech on the radio, broadcast from the White House. You may enjoy the President’s 9-minute speech here:  

President Roosevelt's Radio Address to Scouts

The listening audience included millions of scouts, their families, scout leaders and supporters. I like to picture the Speas family gathered around the radio, Kenneth shushing his younger siblings as he strained to hear. He must have been devastated that he was home in Woodville instead of lined up for review by President Roosevelt on Constitution Avenue.

And yet, all was not lost. In spite of the great disappointment of the cancelled jamboree, the scouting principle of service President Roosevelt spoke of had become more than a theory, indeed it had become an invaluable lifelong habit of the Speas children from Woodville: 

“Scouting is essentially and clearly a program for the development of that unselfish, cooperative attitude of mind. Scouting revolves around not the mere theory of service to others but the habit of service to others.”

Kenneth and his scouting friends did eventually find their way to Washington DC, as evidenced by this photograph taken at Mount Vernon, perhaps that year or maybe two years later when the jamboree was finally held.

The lessons learned in the summer of 1935 remained deeply embedded in the hearts of this family. Fast forward many years to the home of Kenneth’s sister, Coila. 

Coila's greatest talent was being a mother, and as such she put the thoughts, feelings, and desires of her family ahead of her own. 

Her fourth child, Marsha dearly wanted a bicycle that was hers, not a hand-me-down three times over. During her fourth-grade year, in desperation she answered a newspaper want-ad for a used bicycle for $5.00. I will leave it to your imagination what the $5.00 bicycle looked like when her father helped her bring it home in the back of his Anderson Lumber Company pickup truck. 

Marsha on her $5 bike with her dog Fritz in the basket.

With an elementary school caliber spray paint application, the rusted chrome fenders turned blue, and she was satisfied, if not elated, to have transportation that was all hers. As time progressed, however, and Marsha entered junior high school, and then high school, the reclaimed bicycle became somewhat of an embarrassment.

Her dear mother, Coila, undoubtedly remembering the lesson of unselfish service learned in the summer of 1935, had a plan. In

Coila

spite of poor health and weakness due to a prolonged illness, she applied for temporary employment cutting seed potatoes in the spring. When the job was complete, nearly her entire paycheck was targeted to purchase a brand new beautiful yellow 10-speed bicycle.

The bicycle was great; but pales in comparison to her love and sacrifice which will never be forgotten. The greatest tribute to the Speas family legacy would be to continue a tradition of service, cooperation, sacrifice and love.