My heritage in the Restored Gospel comes to me from my grandmother.
My grandmother’s family lived in Texas County, Missouri in the early 1900’s.
When her oldest brother, Fred, turned 19 he decided to leave the family farm
and to seek his fortune in the world. He found his way to St. Louis County and
employment in the coal mines. He got room and board with his aunt Mary.
One evening Fred came home from work a different way than he had before. He
passed by a little white church and heard music and singing coming from it. He
thought to himself that was the most beautiful music he had ever heard. Later
that evening as he sat at the dinner table he asked his aunt, “What is the name
of that little white church down on 19th Street?” As my grandmother told the
story Aunt Mary’s eyes got big and her face got red and she yelled, “That’s the
Mormon church! Don’t you ever go there! They keep their doors locked! They
don’t want anyone coming in!”
Well, human curiosity is a wonderful thing! My uncle Fred wondered why a
church would keep their doors locked and why they did not want anyone to
come into their meeting. He decided to find out for himself. So the next Sunday
evening he went back to that little white church. As he tells it, “I just laid my
hand on the door latch and the door swung open with a bang! Everyone inside
turned around to see who was coming in. Well, I wasn’t going to stand there like
a dope, so I came on in and sat down.” That evening my uncle heard the
Restored Gospel. After the service the Saints greeted him. Uncle Fred asked
them questions about some of the things he had heard in the sermon and they
filled his hand with tracks.
When Fred got home, he went up to his room, sat on the edge of his bed and
began to read the tracks that had been given him. The next morning, his aunt
Mary knocked on his bedroom door to wake him for work. Not hearing a reply
she knocked again. Still there was no reply. She knocked again and still there
was no reply. She opened the door and looked in. She saw my uncle Fred
sitting on the edge of his bed with his overcoat on reading something. Fred had
been up all night reading the tracks. She went over to see what Fred was
reading. When she discovered what he was reading, again her eye got big and
her face got red! “You did go that Mormon church after I told you not to!” She
then gave my uncle an ultimatum to either get rid of the tracks or find a new
place to live. Uncle Fred refused to throw out the tracks and did find another
place to live. He continued going the church and a short time later was baptized.
His aunt Mary sent word to Fred’s parent, my great grandfather and
grandmother, that their son had gone and joined the Mormon Church. As my
grandmother tells it there was weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth! They
cried, “Oh poor Fred has joined the Mormon Church. They’ll probably send him
out to Utah where he will have to marry several wives!”
Some time after this my uncle Fred came down with pneumonia. My great
grandfather left the farm and traveled to St. Louis to see what he could do to
help his son. When he arrived he found his son in the very able care of ladies
of the church. He just happed to arrive when the Saints were having a
missionary series. Seventy Henry J. Sparling was preaching. My great
grandfather attended the series and heard the gospel.
When he returned to the farm, as my grandmother tells the story, that he took
his wife, my great grandmother, in his arms and swung her around and said,
“Mother our son has not joined the Mormon Church! He has found the gospel of
Jesus Christ! And I have invited Elder Sparling here to preach. I am going to
build a brush arbor and invite all our neighbor to come and hear him!” Brother
Sparling came and at the end of his series my great grandfather and
grandmother, my grandmother and several of my grandmother’s brothers and
her sister were baptized.
My mother was raised in the church. My father is a convert from the Luthern
church. But I am always grateful to my grandmother. She had many experiences
and was a faithful witness of the gospel. Many people came into the restored
gospel because of her testimony and witness. I consider her to be the matriarch
of the gospel in our family.
Her gift of her testimony of the Restoration and its work and purpose of the
Kingdom of God here on earth (Zion) have been a catalyst in my life.
My grandmother’s family lived in Texas County, Missouri in the early 1900’s.
When her oldest brother, Fred, turned 19 he decided to leave the family farm
and to seek his fortune in the world. He found his way to St. Louis County and
employment in the coal mines. He got room and board with his aunt Mary.
One evening Fred came home from work a different way than he had before. He
passed by a little white church and heard music and singing coming from it. He
thought to himself that was the most beautiful music he had ever heard. Later
that evening as he sat at the dinner table he asked his aunt, “What is the name
of that little white church down on 19th Street?” As my grandmother told the
story Aunt Mary’s eyes got big and her face got red and she yelled, “That’s the
Mormon church! Don’t you ever go there! They keep their doors locked! They
don’t want anyone coming in!”
Well, human curiosity is a wonderful thing! My uncle Fred wondered why a
church would keep their doors locked and why they did not want anyone to
come into their meeting. He decided to find out for himself. So the next Sunday
evening he went back to that little white church. As he tells it, “I just laid my
hand on the door latch and the door swung open with a bang! Everyone inside
turned around to see who was coming in. Well, I wasn’t going to stand there like
a dope, so I came on in and sat down.” That evening my uncle heard the
Restored Gospel. After the service the Saints greeted him. Uncle Fred asked
them questions about some of the things he had heard in the sermon and they
filled his hand with tracks.
When Fred got home, he went up to his room, sat on the edge of his bed and
began to read the tracks that had been given him. The next morning, his aunt
Mary knocked on his bedroom door to wake him for work. Not hearing a reply
she knocked again. Still there was no reply. She knocked again and still there
was no reply. She opened the door and looked in. She saw my uncle Fred
sitting on the edge of his bed with his overcoat on reading something. Fred had
been up all night reading the tracks. She went over to see what Fred was
reading. When she discovered what he was reading, again her eye got big and
her face got red! “You did go that Mormon church after I told you not to!” She
then gave my uncle an ultimatum to either get rid of the tracks or find a new
place to live. Uncle Fred refused to throw out the tracks and did find another
place to live. He continued going the church and a short time later was baptized.
His aunt Mary sent word to Fred’s parent, my great grandfather and
grandmother, that their son had gone and joined the Mormon Church. As my
grandmother tells it there was weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth! They
cried, “Oh poor Fred has joined the Mormon Church. They’ll probably send him
out to Utah where he will have to marry several wives!”
Some time after this my uncle Fred came down with pneumonia. My great
grandfather left the farm and traveled to St. Louis to see what he could do to
help his son. When he arrived he found his son in the very able care of ladies
of the church. He just happed to arrive when the Saints were having a
missionary series. Seventy Henry J. Sparling was preaching. My great
grandfather attended the series and heard the gospel.
When he returned to the farm, as my grandmother tells the story, that he took
his wife, my great grandmother, in his arms and swung her around and said,
“Mother our son has not joined the Mormon Church! He has found the gospel of
Jesus Christ! And I have invited Elder Sparling here to preach. I am going to
build a brush arbor and invite all our neighbor to come and hear him!” Brother
Sparling came and at the end of his series my great grandfather and
grandmother, my grandmother and several of my grandmother’s brothers and
her sister were baptized.
My mother was raised in the church. My father is a convert from the Luthern
church. But I am always grateful to my grandmother. She had many experiences
and was a faithful witness of the gospel. Many people came into the restored
gospel because of her testimony and witness. I consider her to be the matriarch
of the gospel in our family.
Her gift of her testimony of the Restoration and its work and purpose of the
Kingdom of God here on earth (Zion) have been a catalyst in my life.
| Testimony of Dayn Cederstrom |
