Gerald (Rameumptom) Smith is a student of the gospel. Joining the Church of Jesus Christ when he was 16, he served a mission in Santa Cruz Bolivia (1978=1980). He is married to Ramona, has 3 stepchildren and 7 grandchildren. Retired Air Force (Aim High!). He has been on the Internet since 1986 when only colleges and military were online. Gerald has defended the gospel since the 1980s, and was on the first Latter-Day Saint email lists, including the late Bill Hamblin's Morm-Ant. Gerald has worked with FairMormon, More Good Foundation, LDS.Net and other pro-LDS online groups. He has blogged on the scriptures for over a decade at his site: Joel's Monastery
(joelsmonastery.blogspot.com). He has the following degrees: AAS Computer Management, BS Resource Mgmt, MA Teaching/History.
Gerald was the leader for the Tuskegee Alabama group, prior to it becoming a branch. He opened the door for missionary work to African Americans in Montgomery Alabama in the 1980s. He's served in two bishoprics, stake clerk, high council, HP group leader and several other callings over the years. While on his mission, he served as a counselor in a branch Relief Society presidency.
Excerpt: Background on the Jaredites at the TowerFrom what we read in the Book of Ether, Jared and his brother Mahonri Moriancumer, lived near the Tower of Babel. Traditionally, the Tower of Babel was built by the great Babylonian King Nimrod. In ancient tradition, Nimrod inherited the garment of Noah, which Ham stole from his father when Noah was drunk in his tent. The garment, which caused animals to trust the wearer, was used by Noah to gather them into his ark. Nimrod is known in the Bible as a “mighty hunter” denoting this enhanced ability he received from wearing Noah’s garment.Nimrod built the Tower of Babel in order to obtain heaven. He was ruler over much territory and saw himself as a god on earth. He now desired to be god in heaven, and so organized his people to build the tower so as to overthrow God.
The Nephites are destroyed as a people. They have been killed or absorbed into the Lamanite culture. Mormon and a handful survive for the moment. He has more to say. “…I would speak somewhat unto the remnant of this people who are spared, if it so be that God may give unto them my words, that they may know of the things of their fathers; yea, I speak unto you, ye remnant of the house of Israel…” (Mormon 7:1). The only one who is spared that will read his words is Moroni. The only other remnant will not read the words for 1400 years, when Joseph Smith translates and publishes the Book of Mormon. Mormon then shares the most important things he can share with them. “Know ye that ye are of the house of Israel.” They are a part of the covenant people of God. This is something they cannot escape, only run away from…
Excerpt: A person or people may become so wicked and hard-hearted that the Holy Spirit withdraws completely. Such a person has procrastinated the day of his repentance “even until spiritual death.” What a contrast to the last several lessons of Jesus’ sojourn with the Nephites. In these chapters of 3 Nephi, we’ve seen the people renewed, reborn, and sealed to Christ. They have been filled with the Spirit, which they prayed for and desired most of all (3 Nephi 19:9). Christ has all power over the righteous Nephites for about 200 years time. When they died, they were received into the bosom of Abraham, which is the final state of the righteous.In our study of Mormon and Ether, we will see how a people become so depraved that the only solution for God is a mercy killing.
Book Review: Miracles Among the Rubble – Bringing Convoys of Humanitarian Aid, Hugs, and Hope to a War-torn Region, by Carol R. Gray
This is very different from many of the recent book reviews I’ve done. Most of the books I review tend towards gospel teachings or the scriptures. In this book, published by Greg Kofford Books, we get an entirely new experience. It is a semi-autobiographical look at some of Carol’s experiences leading convoys of humanitarian aid to the devastated areas of Bosnia and Croatia, during the civil war with the Serbs.
The book is divided into 26 short chapters, each describing a trip to Bosnia, bringing truckloads of food, medical supplies, clean water, and other needed assistance to the region. The chapters share the heartbreak of war and the hope that is renewed by Carol and her crew of volunteers, as they travel from England, across Europe, and to the dangerous regions.
However, the book starts unexpectedly with an unrelated, but key, event in Carol’s life. She was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the age of 29. She was only to have weeks left to live. It helped her to focus on the most important things, such as family. Six years later, as a Relief Society president in England, she became focused on the Balkan war. The Spirit whispered to her to help, so she found a charity that would transport items to Bosnia that she could obtain, by rallying Latter-day Saint members from her region. As the day approached to hand the supplies over to the Charity organization, they rescinded their offer of transporting the donations.
Distraught over this news, she prayed as to what to do next. The Spirit gave her the inspiration to obtain some trucks and volunteers and drive the supplies to Bosnia herself. That first trip turned into over 40 trips over several years, often bringing a dozen or more large trucks of aid to areas close to the front lines of the war.
Her first trip was taken with her college age daughter, Samantha, who eagerly agreed to go with her mother. As some of the truck drivers were happy to drop off their supplies at the border, Carol sensed she needed to go further into the country, where the most destitute would be found, and ensuring the items got into the hands of the needy, rather being placed on the black market.
In the chapters, she describes various people she met, dangers in traveling due to hidden landmines, shelling and machine gun fire. On more than one occasion, she found herself driving over makeshift bridges, put together with tires, oil barrels and planks of wood. All of her chapters end with a spiritual message of a truth she and others learned on the trips.
For example, for one trip, she was asked to bring toiletries and cleaning supplies. It was for a new village that was quickly built for about 100 women and their children. Carol was surprised to find that the women and children had been freed from the Serbian rape camps. The women and children feared men, and so the men on the convoy initially stood apart, until the Bosnian women personally welcomed them into their village.
On another trip, a Bosnian friend of Carol had opened her home on the Dalmatian Coast to the injured. Carol’s friend worked tirelessly, comforting the wounded soldiers and civilians who found their way to her house. Carol could not imagine how a beautiful place as this, could be so uprooted by violence. It showed her that people in dire situations can make a huge difference for others.
Even those driving in the convoys were often changed by the experience. Carol notes a man named Fred, who was an alcoholic and close to losing his family and work. He begged to drive with her. The experience changed him greatly, as he hugged and comforted children and others, who really needed a shoulder to cry on. After the trip, he had sworn off drinking and returned to his family and work.
Another gentleman, who was in the military and was very stern and strict, told her that he was not a hugger. However, over the two week trip, his heart softened. As they pulled into their first Bosnian village, he jumped from the truck and began hugging the people.
She also shares how triumph can come from tragedy. In one place, she heard a child screaming. As she went to check it out, she found that the child’s leg was being amputated, the child having stepped on a landmine. The surgery was being performed without anesthesia, as there was none available. This shook Carol. She thought and dreamed about it all the way back to England. Once there, she prepared a convoy of medical equipment needed in Bosnia.
Each time a special item was required, the Lord provided it to her, often just in the nick of time. She describes the doors that opened for her, as she saw a new need appear. Her list of miracles in the book is quite impressive, even though they obviously do not begin to number all the miracles that occurred in the lives of the drivers, the medical personnel, and especially, the people of Bosnia.
Carol finally succumbed to cancer in 2010, and the book was lovingly finished by her daughter, Samantha.
After reading this book, I stopped to reflect on the service I have given. Was it enough? Was I willing to enter into dangerous places, in order to serve those most in need? Was I willing to give up some of my creature comforts and idle time to make a difference in the lives of others?
It brought me pause.
I highly recommend this book. It will make you uncomfortable, as it did for me. Yet, it will also enrich you, seeing that one person can make a big difference in bringing Christ-like love and service to others that perhaps live far away and are currently strangers. It doesn’t require us to enter war-torn nations to experience such things as Carol writes in her book. It can be those affected by wildfires, hurricanes, floods, poverty, or hatred. But this book becomes a wonderful eye-opener to the possibilities of what each of us could do to bring down a little heaven on earth to those in true need.
My blog post for Come Follow Me: 3 Nephi 27-4 Nephi.
Excerpt:
“just because a church calls itself after Christ’s name, does not mean it is his Church. It must also be “built upon my (Jesus’) gospel.” To the extent that a church strays from that directive, it is less and less the Lord’s church. A Church built upon the gospel will show forth the Father’s works.
“if it be not built upon my gospel, and is built upon the works of men, or upon the works of the devil, verily I say unto you they have joy in their works for a season, and by and by the end cometh, and they are hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence there is no return. For their works do follow them, for it is because of their works that they are hewn down; therefore remember the things that I have told you” (3 Ne 27:11-12).
Here, the Lord gives us an insight on not only the churches that are in the world, but all organizations and things found on earth. All things are founded upon the Lord’s gospel, man’s gospel, or Satan’s gospel. Of the three, only the Lord’s gospel promises eternal joy and peace. The other two are temporary, and one may find “joy” {perhaps “pleasure” is a better word} in those things. But eventually the things of man corrode and fall apart, while the works of Satan will all end tragically.How do we determine the things of man?
A simple illustration might help us see this. Many eons ago, my youngest son asked me to buy him the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle game for his Nintendo system. He told me that it would make him the happiest person on earth. So, for his birthday, I purchased it for him. Indeed, he seemed like the happiest kid in the world when he unwrapped it. For days he played the game, almost without stop. After a couple weeks, I noticed he wasn’t playing it. I asked him why he wasn’t. He responded that he now had beaten the game several times and was bored with it. No longer did I see the face of the happiest kid in the world, but someone who needed his next “fix.”
In a world of avarice and greed, this is now ubiquitous. Today, we find people looking for happiness in the things they buy or rent, the number of vacations they have, the number of kills on their current video game, the nice restaurants they frequent, the size of their house and SUV. Yet, even though most Americans are wealthier now than when my son was 8 years old, they are more miserable than ever. Pleasure does not equal lasting joy.
