Returning to my roots.

Three days until departure. To pass the time I've been doing a lot studying. In some of the information the tour has given us it mentions that everyone can trace their ancestry back to Egypt and Israel. Which seem absolutely logical, but I have found that my link to the Holy Land goes back only a few generations.

I've been reading a book that that my aunt gave my dad for Christmas and my dad passed on to me called Holy Land; A history of the Latter-day Saints in the Near East. (LaMar C. Berrett, Blair G. Van Dyke) This is an interesting book. Even at the early stages of the church gathering Israel in this part of the country was a priority.

In October 24, 1941 Orson Hyde was the first to dedicate the Holy Land. The Holy Land was dedicated 10 other times. All by apostles except for the fifth time. That rededication was performed by Ferdinand Hintze, under the direction of Elder Lund of the Quorum of the Twelve. And I have the privilege of calling him great, great grandpa.

I knew some of the history of my grandfather from family histories that have been passed down through the generations. However there is a whole lot I didn't know that I am learning from this book. I knew that he was born in Denmark. Came to Utah as a boy and settled in Holladay. He had four wives. I am from the third wife. I knew that he served many missions and that he translated the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants into Turkish.

I didn't know that he was the third missionary to go to the Turkish mission. He also became the first mission president of that mission, which at the time was part of the Ottoman Empire and included the Holy Lands. He assisted in establishing several branches throughout the area. He introduced the gospel to the Armenian people and is known as the father of the Turkish and Armenian missionary effort. He proposed that a Mormon colony be set up in the Near East as a place for the persecuted saints to settle. He was called on a second mission to Turkey (1987). In 1898 he was called and sustained as pastor of the Turkish mission. (Similar to to a bishop and district president.) As pastor, on May 8, 1898,"he was invited by Elder Lund (apostle) to act as a voice in a prayer of dedication on the Mount of Olives. This act alone is significant, since such prayers are usually reserved for apostolic witnesses." (129) He dedicated the land of Israel "for the return of Judah and the house of Israel." (134) The next day he preformed the first latter-day baptism in Jerusalem.

This all may seem insignificant, because its not as if the church is huge in those areas. However it is the effort of those early missionaries that opened the door for the church's existence there today. (349)

Learning all these things about my Gr Gr Gpa made this trip a little more meaningful to me. Not only am I going to the Holy Lands where Christ lived (which is huge, I know) but I am also going to a place where my great, great grandfather served as a missionary and worked to build Christ's kingdom once more in this land. The book mentions several times that he was a great man and he had strong convictions about the work he was doing. He loved the people and worked hard to bring them the truth. It not only gives me something to be proud of, but to live up to.

(Pict of my gr gr gpa and my gr gpa, Henry, right before he left on a mission to Denmark.Gpa Henry was also amazing.)