Lest we forget--lest we forget

Today is the midway point between Veterans Day and the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, and this week's Sunday School lesson is on putting on the armor of God...seems like a perfect time to revisit Great-Grandpa Hofmann's autobiography (with my commentary in italics), more specifically his military service. Lots of reasons to like this story, not the least of which being the reminder that opposing, "enemy" armies are largely made up of good people. Take it away, GGP!

August 1, 1914 Germany declared war on Russia...

August 7, 1914 I also had to go into the Kaiser's service in Hildesheim. The first day we received military uniforms and shoes and some training. The following day we finished our training and were ordered to the front...we were to support the invasion of Belgium. We wore new gray uniforms, unknown to the Belgians at that time, and they thought we were English and received us very kindly. Soon their attitude changed and we told them not to fight against the invading army, and that we were commanded not to do any harm to civilians, unless they attacked us first. Very soon I learned that war is hell. During my service as a German soldier in World War I, I was in Belgium, but I did not shoot a bullet out of my gun in the five weeks I was there. I was there to help the wounded soldiers, give them first aid and help the doctors, when there was no battle on. I did not wound or kill anyone. In the field hospital during the battle near Haecht, Belgium, September 12, 1914 [not finding much specific info by Googling, but this was possibly at the tail end of the Battle of the Frontiers], I was heavily wounded while I was helping a fellow soldier to save his life. I was taken, together with other wounded soldiers, to the St. Jean Hospital in Brussels...

The following day I found myself in a hospital bed and in the presence of doctors and nurses. The surgeon-in-chief, an English doctor, seemed to be interested in my case. He explained to me the condition in which I was in. I got the impression that he would do his best for me, therefore I consented to his proposition to amputate my right shank, a few inches below the knee. This was done immediately after I consented. In a dream I saw a man burying the shank in the garden of the hospital. [I know this must have been a terrible ordeal, but I laugh every time I read his leg referred to as a shank. Also, at the thought of a shoe tree growing from the shank planted in the garden.]

After the operation I awakened from a deep sleep, I tried to leave the bed to go to the lavatory, but I found out that I could not walk with one leg. As I, from the bed, looked out into the garden of the hospital I saw three trees full of ripe fruit. I asked the nurse if I could have a plateful of cooked pears. She smiled, as the doctor came in she asked him my question. He answered her, give him what he wants, after eleven or twelve tonight he asks no more. I was surprised to hear the doctor thought the end of my life would come. Nevertheless, I thought that he was mistaken. The next morning as the doctors and nurses visited at my bedside, the chief surgeon asked me in German, "How are you?" I told him that I felt better than I thought I would last evening...I told him that I would not die yet, but he answered that he had never before seen a man living with such high fever...on my birthday, November 19, I was carried from Brussels, Belgium to Hamburg, Germany...I was in great pain, day and night and could hardly sleep...the surgeon-in-chief there told me I had to undergo another operation because the English doctor had made a mistake which he must correct, but I replied that I do not believe that and...I did not consent to be re-operated upon. From that time on he neglected my wound and for two weeks it received no new dressing. However, I had enough knowledge to help myself and when the two weeks were over my wound was in excellent condition. With the help of the Lord he did not get power over me to reoperate.

In the hospital were about two thousand wounded soldiers. [Army of Helaman, much?] Being one of them I had excellent opportunity to explain the principles of the restored Gospel. The members of the Hamburg Branch of the Church visited me daily in groups of five, ten and sometimes fifty. At times there were more saints in the hospital than in the meetinghouse...

The chaplain in charge of religious instruction at the hospital, the doctors and nurses, even everybody in the 2,000 bed hospital heard some principles of the restored gospel explained and my testimony. Some days later I was officially forbidden to give tracts to anyone in the hospital and threatened with heavy punishment. This decree went out about 9:00 A.M. At that time I had about 600 tracts at my bedside, enough for about a month's distribution. [A month?! Feeling very ashamed about my missionary street-contacting success rate right now...] I did not give out one of them, but some soldiers came and took them from my storage place, sat down on the tables and read them. After they had read them they asked me why distribution of them should or could be forbidden. Many came and asked me religious or moral questions. After the evening meals until 9:00 P.M. the room was full with investigators. I answered their questions and explained correct principles to them.

The pastor, the surgeon, and others now felt outwitted, but had no lawful means to stop my activity. A mob was organized who should mishandle me while I was sleeping during the night, bind me and hit me until I was black and blue with blood. I did not know of their plan until the following morning when the leader of the mob came to me and asked me to forgive him, then I got an idea of the devilish plan. I realized that I was saved like father Abraham, as he had been taken by the idolatrous priests and bound to one of their altars to be offered as a sacrifice and was saved from such an ordeal. I answered the mob leader that I had never before in my life had a better sleep than last night. He answered, "I and those who were with me will not do any more against you no matter what you say or do."

He was transferred to another hospital two weeks later, and after four more weeks was discharged from the military. He was awarded both the Iron Cross and the Distinguished Service Cross.

How cool was that story? I made the stripling warrior connection and he compared himself to Abraham, but you can also draw parallels between GGP's story and those of Paul, Joseph Smith, Peter and Vincenzo di Francesca, at a minimum. This may be my final post drawn from my great-grandfather's diary, and if so it's a good way to go out. This is definitely my favorite section in it. If you ever see me laugh while singing "I hope they call me on a mission, when I have 'grown a foot' or two," you'll know that I'm thinking about GGP, his shank, and the great missionary he was. God bless the veterans from our country and others.

Start spreadin' the news

[After a week off, the BASOTRUSSL is back and--if not better than ever--at least as good as it is most weeks. This week's Gospel Doctrine lesson covers some of the events from the first 30-plus years after the Saints arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. Since a big chunk of that involved sending missionaries all over the world, and since it's only about a fortnight until my parents leave on their mission, it seems like a good time to revisit the journals of the first church member-slash-missionary-slash-member missionary in my bloodline, my Great-grandpa Hofmann (GGP for short). Today's excerpts focus on his first mission. Previous posts drawing from GGP's diary can be found here and here.]

Not long after GGP's baptism, he was living in Samaden, Switzerland, and attending church meetings in nearby Pontrosina. The visiting President mentioned below is likely a District President, though the diary does not specify.

President Hyrum W. Valentine and his wife came to see us...[he] asked me the question, "When the Lord would want you on a mission, would you go?" I told him when the hospital is finished [GGP's architectural endeavor at that time] I plan to go to Zion. I have the money and clothes and all that I need. [At this time many if not most LDS converts hoped to move to Utah as soon as they could.] He answered and said again, "Would you go on a mission when called by the Lord or His servant?" I answered, yes, I would. He told me that the money and clothes, etc., I could use on a mission as well as for going to America.

As we were finishing the hospital building, wealthy men came to me and told me they intend to build and had chosen me to do the architectural work for them. But I kept my promise to the Lord to go on a mission to Germany, the land where I was born...the following day I left for my mission in the Hannover District...

On the way to Hannover I visited very briefly with my parents, brothers and sister, and found my mother was in much better health than when I saw her the last time I was home for her "funeral service."

As I arrived in Hannover, [District President Joseph] Anderson was in prison for preaching the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. A few days later he was released and went with me to Braunschweig, where I was assigned to labor with Elder Ben. Pierce of Provo, who had been there for a short time.

President Anderson went with me from door to door to show me how they do tracting. As we went to the meeting house in Braunschweig, we saw that we were watched by plain clothesmen. They first contacted President Joseph Anderson, but he directed them to me as an LDS missionary who had picked him up in his tracting services. As they tried to arrest me, Joseph Anderson disappeared and was no more to be found. They asked me for his address in Braunschweig, but I told them I do not know his address as we had not yet baptized him. They took me to police headquarters, but they could not put me in prison as, at that time, I was a German citizen who had his citizen papers in best order. My military papers, too, were in order. Nearly every day when I went tracting I was arrested one or two times, taken to police headquarters and set free as I had transgressed no law. My companion, however, had to avoid to be arrested as a foreigner proselyting the Gospel in Germany. If they could have arrested him, he would have been put in prison for a while. With the help of the Lord he escaped each time. He even could outrun dogs when they were sent after him. He had to rent and live in a room without registering; if he had registered, he could not have lived in Braunschweig.

At the end of July 1914, a great district conference was held in Hannover under the leadership of Elder Hyrum M. Smith of the Quorum of the Twelve, then President of the European Mission. He told us what would happen in the near future, that [the branches and districts] would be reorganized with local brethren as the leaders, that the local brethren and sisters should have the opportunity and experience in leadership. Had his advice been followed, much confusion could have been avoided as the elders were called home only two or three weeks later.

August 1, 1914 Germany declared war on Russia...in those days missionary work among the people was nearly impossible as the people thought and spoke only of war.

Once while tracting in Scotland, I had water dumped on me from a second-story window. But that was the worst thing that ever happened to me. I definitely didn't have to worry about getting arrested every day, or being chased by dogs...I'd love to read this Ben Pierce's diary as well. There's more to share about my ancestor's missionary efforts, and about his experiences in the first World War, but I'll save that for future posts. Isn't GGP Hofmann amazing?

Great-Grandpa's Diary, Vol. II

This Sunday in Gospel Doctrine we'll be discussing eternal marriage. Seems like a good time to dust off Great-Grandpa Hofmann's autobiography, as the story of his courtship and marriage is one of the more unusual parts of his history. (Here's a link to the first post in which I quoted from his diary.)

Grandpa Ed served in the German military during World War I, but was discharged as a result of a serious injury (some stories related to this will definitely be told in later posts, there's some really good stuff). In 1917, while the war was still going on, he was called as the Vice President of the Swiss-German mission.

Because of the war, the mission president (an American) was unable to visit or even correspond with branches or members of the church in Germany and Austria. So my great-grandfather was the highest ranking church officer in the two countries during that time. How cool is that? In two rented rooms, Ed Hofmann and an "aged" mission companion, Paul Gmelin, both slept and did their office work. I'll let Ed take it from here:

Brother Gmelin and I could not do all the work required of us properly. We needed help.

The President of the Swiss-German Mission, Angus J. Cannon, as well as the President of the European Mission, George F. Richards, advised me to marry so that the aged Brother Gmelin would have a home. In addition, I was to look for someone to help me in my office work. In December 1917 I rented an apartment to which we moved our office and living quarters and asked Sister Margaret Albisser who lived in Zurich if she would go on a mission if she was called. She answered yes she would go, but she takes care of her grandmother. I told her we would take care of that problem. Then she consented. Thereupon I asked her if she would also be prepared to marry me. Without delay she answered yes...on Christmas 1917 we began family life.

How crazy is that? Margaret's mission call was basically to marry Ed. And she said yes, "without delay." It's likely the two of them at least knew each other before this odd proposal, though the diary gives no indication of this and certainly does not provide details of any additional dating or courting that took place. It seems more like Margaret was simply following the pattern established by Rachel and Rebekah in Genesis, viewing the blessings of a covenant marriage as more important than typical relationship concerns.

Family certainly came first for Ed and Margaret. It also came right away--the first child was born in October, 1918. That was my grandfather, Karl Edward Hofmann, Jr. (he would also go by "Ed"). They had eight children by the time they moved to the US in 1929, and four more were born after arriving in Utah. That's a lot of posterity! On June 20, 1929

President Bryant S. Hinckley [yep, Gordon's dad!] signed a temple recommend for me, Mama and our eight children. June 27th Mama and I went through the Salt Lake Temple for our own endowments and sealing. [June 27th is my parents' anniversary/sealing date too!] As this was done our eight children came into the sealing room and were sealed to us. The sealing was done by President George F. Richards, former President of the European Mission who advised me to marry in 1917. He told me at this time his advice was a good one.

You can say that again! My life has been blessed tremendously by their decision to not only marry but to seek for an eternal marriage, to be sealed together forever. I'm hoping that reading this account will have an impact on my dating patterns. Two of the main reasons (though certainly not the only ones) I am not yet married are laziness and being too picky. My great-grandfather was told to get married, and he went right to work. And even though Ed and Margaret didn't "date," they were committed to each other and to the Lord and they made their marriage work. Overall, arranged marriages have a strikingly low divorce rate. That's certainly not the only thing to consider before advocating for more arranged marriages, but I generally agree with this statement from former LDS Church President Spencer W. Kimball:

"Soul mates" are fiction and an illusion; and while every young man and young woman will seek with all diligence and prayerfulness to find a mate with whom life can be most compatible and beautiful, yet it is certain that almost any good man and any good woman can have happiness and a successful marriage if both are willing to pay the price.

This was definitely the case for my great-grandparents.

When I have grown a foot or two

Some friends invited me over Tuesday night to facilitate a missionary visit with their new roommate (another adult male must be present when LDS* Elders visit women). It was the first time I'd had that experience in quite a while, and it was awesome. Some things I loved in particular:

--Both Elders were from Missouri, including one from Independence! The LDS-Missouri relationship has come a long way since the 1838 extermination order. The other Elder is from Joplin, and has heard of Purdy, the tiny town in SW Missouri where my grandpa lives.
--My friends are admirably bold, and extremely welcoming. Their new roommate has only lived with them two or three weeks, and has already been to church with them and met with the missionaries.
--This new roommate of theirs is a delight. She's a graduate student from China, studying world religions. She's incredibly smart but very humble. She's met with missionaries in the past, has read the entire Book of Mormon, and knew the answer to every question asked, and then some. (Example: "Do you know what a prophet is?" "Thomas Monson is your current prophet.")
--In commenting on the testimony meeting she attended the previous Sunday, she said (paraphrasing here--wish I could remember her exact words, they were very profound), "Everyone said they know the church is true, and they know the Book of Mormon is true, and they know Thomas Monson is a prophet...but that is just the result. Nobody talked about the process." Something for all of us to keep in mind when sharing our testimonies--don't just declare what you know to be true, but tell how you know it.

Missionary work has been on my mind more than usual lately. July 4th was the 12th anniversary of my return from my two-year mission, which always causes me to reflect on the time I spent preaching the gospel in Scotland. The week before that, my parents received a mission call. They will be serving in the New Mexico Farmington Mission! The whole family was thrown off a little by the distance--the surprisingly close distance of their area of labor, and the surprisingly far distance of their start date (about two months later than expected)--but we're all very excited. They have been told that their main assignment will be in the local employment center, with some welfare and addiction recovery duties, but that their mission president will also adjust their responsibilities as needed.

Hofmanns have a long missionary history, but there were likely none greater than my great-grandfather Karl, the first Hofmann in my bloodline to join the church. His daughter compiled a short autobiography from his journals, and there are some really cool stories in there.

Born and raised in Germany, Karl attended a Protestant church with his family. He was "confirmed" at 14, after which he was

...permitted to partake of the "Lord's Supper" for the first time. Now we were considered to be full members of the Protestant church of the state in which we lived. We were also entitled to learn to smoke and drink beer and wine...under those circumstances who could suppose that this custom was against the mind and will of God? Headaches on Monday, however, convinced me soon that this usage was not the best one, but I had the power to overcome only after I heard the Elder's message about the Word of Wisdom, and after I had asked the Lord to help me overcome.

After college Karl moved to Switzerland, where he met Mormon missionaries for the first time. He investigated the church for a year, devouring every piece of literature that had been translated into German:

After I had read the Book of Mormon I knew that it was true and that I had found the true Church on earth. I decided to join the Church, but I also thought not to join  alone. I thought that if I gave the Book of Mormon to the pastor who instructed me in school and to my parents, brothers and sister, they also would join with me or before me. This did not happen; I received booklets written against the Church. Thereupon I went to Germany to tell all my relatives that those booklets are not true, but that the Church is true.

Karl, 28 years old at the time, still followed through and was baptized, though his family did not join with him. He was a faithful convert:

As soon as a principle of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ was explained to me and I understood it, seeing that it was revealed from heaven and recorded in scripture, I began to keep it. Several months before baptism I began to pay an honest tithing and to keep the Word of Wisdom for I knew that these two laws of the Church are righteous laws and of God.

The Word of Wisdom seems to have been a favorite topic for Karl:

In Lucerne I worked for the architectural firm, Theiller & Helper...I went to Andermatt to supervise the construction of the [Central Hotel]. The owner of the hotel tried to reconvert me to smoking and drinking...once he gave me a bottle of liquor. In his presence I used it to wash my body and told him that is what liquor is good for.

There are several other stories of his friends and colleagues unsuccessfully tempting him to violate the Word of Wisdom (and usually becoming hostile towards him when they failed), but I will stop here for now, because the post is already quite long, and because if I recounted here how he lost his leg in World War I, the title of this post would seem more like a cruel joke, rather than a reference to a cheesy Primary song.

But there is plenty more, which I plan to share on my blog over the coming weeks and months. My great-grandpa was committed to the Lord and His church 100%, but even more impressively he was fully committed to sharing what he knew with everyone else. He was absolutely fearless in doing so. If we need some encouragement to do the same, there are friends, ancestors, and the scriptures (including this week's Sunday School lesson) whose examples can give us strength.


*There's a good chance that everyone who reads my blog is a Mormon; but just in case, if anyone needs clarification on any words or phrases used here or in my other posts, or has any questions about anything related to the LDS Church, feel free to contact me or leave a comment.