Friday, September 11, 1970

The gifts of life and friendship and love have filled my heart this day. Because of a first in a series of six seminars on leadership training being taught by Elder Ferrin, we spent the night in a Recife hotel and returned to Maceió this afternoon. The leadership session was a great and fun learning experience but was quite overshadowed by other spiritual experiences of the day.

Elder Blackham and I had put in a full day yesterday, but we remained up a bit late to discuss the activities of the exciting day and to share our thoughts with one another. That was the prelude. Today’s return trip developed into a four-hour evaluation session that was one steady session of love and understanding and friendship. The entire afternoon was one long spiritual experience neither Elder Blackham nor I shall ever forget. Our common desire today was that the trip to Maceió be ten hours instead of merely four, but that could not be arranged.

We started a discussion of yesterday’s conferences and dwelt at length on that. We talked of the progress we’ve seen the branch make and particularly the members. We agree with Sister Hinckley, a miracle indeed. We talked about ourselves and our relationship and our common efforts during the past four months. As we communed together, our love for each other increased even more, if that seems possible.

All of a sudden it was given me to understand some of the purposes of life and things. Let me explain. When I was in the Language Training Mission, one of my professors there, Elder Tom Welch, promised me that the Lord had a specific reason for wanting me in the Brazil North Mission and added that some day I would know the reason why. He said I might know during my mission or not until later in life. I explained this to Elder Blackham and told him that now I knew. My companion understood the reason too without my having to form into words the thought: I was called here to build the branch of Maceió, to establish the kingdom, to place my bricks.

My life has been one great blessing, I explained to Elder Blackham. I told him of the two greatest lessons I learned my year at BYU. The first was how little I really knew. The second and most important was how to really love others even more than myself. I am still learning that because few have been the people that have meant more to me than me myself. And then to Elder Blackham I said, “In all sincerity I mean this: I love you every bit as much as myself. As my comp, you mean more to me than myself. And I am grateful for that.” Our hearts were locked at that moment and an eternal friendship made secure. Words cannot express the upward swellings of two grateful souls, united as brothers, enjoying the happiness of those precious moments.

At some length Elder Blackham told me of his life and how miraculous he considered it that he was in the position he now is in rather than a low and immoral drug addict in some dirty slum. He told me of certain people who helped him completely change his life, keeping him true to the heritage of his birth. God is mindful of Dana Blackham because he is one of His noble sons and has the talents and gifts to contribute much to the building of Zion.

If ever in my life I have experienced true joy, if ever I have known real happiness, if ever the Spirit has spoken peace to my soul, it happened this day. The Lord has been generously merciful to me to have blessed me so much. I pled with him last night in my prayers that, if it be His will and suit His holy purposes, Elder Blackham might remain together with me at least until the next regional conference in November. I even told Elder Blackham about that request.

Following Primary this evening, we prepared a birthday gift for Hévia and went to deliver it. She was touched by the fact that we remembered her. The thought was more important than the gift itself. It was fun to see her happy.