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These are my prepped materials for Lesson 26: George Albert Smith: A Mission of Love. Just throwing them out to the ether, here.
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Smith v Truman
CHARACTERS:
Intro (stage-setting know-it-all)
JFS (Joseph F. Smith, not the prophet one)
Narrator (George Albert Smith, president of the Church, later in life)
Smith (George Albert Smith, president of the Church)
Truman (Harry S Truman, President of the USA)
Wiseguy (another know-it-all)
Intro: The results of the Second World War were ugly. It had lasted for more than five years. More than fifty countries had taken part in the war. An estimated fifty-five million people had died. It had cost over a trillion dollars. Millions in Europe and Asia were without adequate food, shelter, and clothing. Sorrow, hatred, and despair stalked through nations and homes. In one way or another, World War II had touched the lives of nearly everyone on earth. On May 21, 1945, at a time when the full extent of carnage and devastation was just becoming apparent, George Albert Smith became President of the Church. Now, one of President Smith’s greatest attributes was the love he showed for the entire human family. Consider this statement by Patriarch Joseph F. Smith, the grandson of President Joseph F. Smith.
JFS: It is not for me to say what particular mission President George Albert Smith has ahead of him. This I do know, however, that at this particular time in the world’s history, never was the need for love among brethren so desperately needed as it is today. Furthermore, I do know this, that there is no man of my acquaintance who loves the human family, collectively and individually, more profoundly than does President George Albert Smith.
Intro: In November 1945, after World War II had ended, President Smith called on Harry S Truman—president of the United States. President Smith described the visit this way:
Narrator: When I called on him, he received me very graciously—I had met him before—and I said
Smith: I have just come to ascertain from you, Mr. President, what your attitude will be if the Latter-day Saints are prepared to ship food and clothing and bedding to Europe.
Narrator: He smiled and looked at me, and said
Truman: Well, what do you want to ship it over there for? Their money isn’t any good.
Smith: We don’t want their money.
Truman: You don’t mean you are going to give it to them?
Smith: Of course, we would give it to them. They are our brothers and sisters and are in distress. God has blessed us with a surplus, and we will be glad to send it if we can have the co-operation of the government.
Truman: You are on the right track. We will be glad to help you in any way we can.
Narrator: I have thought of that a good many times. After we had sat there a moment or two, he said again:
Truman: How long will it take you to get this ready?
Smith: It’s all ready.
Narrator: The government you remember had been destroying food and refusing to plant grain during the war—
Wiseguy: Okay, look. That doesn’t make any sense. But, baby, I looked it up and here’s the thing. Just as World War II was ending, America had too much grain which meant the price of grain was dropping to, like, nothing which meant all the farmers were going to be poor so the government was buying up all the extra grain and paying people not to plant and stuff even though half the world was starving. After all, money’s more important than poor foreigners. That’s life, baby. Get used to it. Anyway. Please. Continue.
Narrator: So I said to him:
Smith: Mr. President, while the administration at Washington were advising the destroying of food, we were building elevators and filling them with grain, and increasing our flocks and our herds, and now what we need is the cars and the ships in order to send considerable food, clothing and bedding to the people of Europe who are in distress. We have an organization in the Church that has over two thousand homemade quilts ready.
Wiseguy: Yeah! What do you think of that, Truman?
Narrator: Please.
Wiseguy: Sorry.
Intro: The end.
Wiseguy: ’Sup.
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Compare the following paragraph about President George Albert Smith to 3 Nephi 17:11-22
A large faction had broken away from the Church and established their own church. They were disgruntled with some leaders and presumed to take matters into their own hands. President Smith made a historic visit to this group in 1946. He met with them and shook their hands, spoke to them, and prayed and wept for them. They were touched by his presence. He looked and acted like a prophet. They acknowledged that he was a prophet. Twelve hundred people, feeling the radiant love of Christ reaching out to them through the Lord’s anointed, returned to the safety of the Church from which they had strayed.
* * * * *
And it came to pass that [Jesus] commanded that their little children should be brought. So they brought their little children and set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst; and the multitude gave way till they had all been brought unto him. And . . . when they had all been brought, and Jesus stood in the midst, he commanded the multitude that they should kneel down upon the ground. And it came to pass that when they had knelt upon the ground, Jesus groaned within himself, and said: “Father, I am troubled because of the wickedness of the people of the house of Israel.”
And when he had said these words, he himself also knelt upon the earth; and behold he prayed unto the Father, and the things which he prayed cannot be written, and the multitude did bear record who heard him. And after this manner do they bear record:
"The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father; and no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father."
And . . . when Jesus had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose; but so great was the joy of the multitude that they were overcome.
And . . . Jesus spake unto them, and bade them arise. And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: “Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.”
And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.
And when he had done this he wept again . . . .
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New International Version of the thirteenth chapter of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians
(slightly altered and with a few verses missing)
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind.
Love does not envy, does not boast, is not proud.
Love does not dishonor others; it is not self-seeking; it is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
Where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away—because now we see only a reflection as in a mirror
So, now, in these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.
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