July 28, 2010

PATRIARCHAL BLESSINGS OF LAMAR STEVENSON WILLIAMS

PATRIARCHAL BLESSINGS
First blessing – October 19, 1931 in Pocatello, Idaho

A blessing given by Patriarch Williams Alonzo Hyde, upon the head of LaMar Stevenson Williams, Son of Peter Joan Williams and Elosia Call, born December 4, 1911 at Blackfoot, Idaho.


LaMar Stevenson Williams, by virtue of the Holy Patriarchal priesthood that I bear, I lay my hands upon thy head to give unto thee a blessing, which is intended as a guide for thee and to sustain and assist thee in the journey through life.


Thou art of the tribe of Ephraim and being of this lineage, thou art an heir to the blessings under the covenant given in olden times and thou shalt receive the fullness of the Priesthood. There is within thee a spark of faith that has come down to thee from thy fathers and this may be fanned into a flame of knowledge and testimony until thou shalt be able to testify of the divinity of the mission of our Lord.


It shall be thy pleasure to proclaim that testimony abroad in the nations of the earth, for thou hast shown by thy desire for this blessing, thy wish to put thyself in the hands of thy Heavenly Father. He will use thee as an ambassador in his cause and I promise thee that in thy travels and labors thou shalt be preserved from harm. Thou shalt be in great dangers, but thou wilt know that a Supreme Power is upheld thee.


Thou shalt stand before men and deliver thy testimony with humility in the confidence of the Spirit that is in thee. There is much promise in thee and ability will come to thee by reason of thy studious disposition and thou shalt be a powerful instrument in the hands of the Lord.


I bless thee that in due time thou shalt have a worthy companion and shall enter into the new and everlasting covenant of marriage. Blessed shalt thou be in thy family relations and thou shalt be established in the earth and have the favor of men.


Thou shalt stand upon the threshold of great events and thou wilt see many marvelous things and I promise thee that by keeping the law thou shalt be preserved. The destroying angel shall pass thee by. Thou shalt have thine inheritance in the land of Joseph and participate in great events concerning which the Lord has spoken in his revelations.


Thou shalt see the foundation laid for the building of the New Jerusalem and thou shalt assist in the work that is there undertaken.


Keep thy lips unsoiled by forbidden things and thy heart clean and pure that the Spirit of the Lord may dwell in thee and thou shalt come safely to the end of thy journey and be received at last in the Celestial Kingdom of our Father, and to his end I bless thee, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.


Second Blessing – July 24, 1935 in Rexburg, Idaho


A blessing given by Alma B. Larsen, Patriarch, upon the head of LaMar Stevenson Williams son of Peter Joan Williams and Elosia Call Williams born December 4, 1911 at Groveland Ward Blackfoot Stake, Idaho.


Dear Brother LaMar, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I place my hands upon your head and in the authority of my sacred calling seal upon you a blessing, yea, even a Patriarchal blessing that you may receive inspiration to meet the problems of life. For the will of the Lord shall be made known because of your faith.


The Lord loves you and you were one of his favored sons, yea, choice even before you came into this world, you were tried and proven and were numbered among the favored sons of Jacob for you are of Israel, and foreordained and blessed to come forth in this the greatest of all gospel dispensations.


You have been born of noble parents and because of their faithfulness you are an heir to the blessings of the new and everlasting covenant and I as much, dear brother, as you have not and shall not forfeit that birth right thru sin and transgression your calling and election shall be made sure, for you are rightly entitled to the promises made by the ancient Patriarchs even Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For you are a descendant of them thru the loins of Ephraim and because of your faithfulness in the spirit world gifts were sealed upon you. These gifts and talents can only be developed in proportion to your faithfulness in honoring the Priesthood that has been conferred upon you.


It is thru the Holy Priesthood that these most precious and heavenly gifts can be made manifest and therefore, your success both spiritual and physical will depend upon your faithfulness for in proportion to the service that you render for the blessing of our Father’s children the vision of the future will be unfolded before your eyes and under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost you shall lay your plans and they shall have the divine approval of your Heavenly Father.


The comforts of earth shall be given you and the blessings of Heaven shall rest upon you and yours. The spirit of leadership shall be given you and it shall be your privilege to sit in the councils of the church, yea, even as a judge in Israel. Your counsel shall be sought for and your advise shall be followed, and those who follow your advice shall be blessed by the Lord, therefore, see to it, dear brother, that you so live that you may always be worthy of the sweet spirit that shall lead and direct your every act.


I bless you with the spirit of discernment that you may always understand the promptings of the Holy Ghost and thereby escape the snares and the pitfalls that Satan shall place in your pathway. I bless you with strength and power to repel from you His very influence that you may be preserved in purity and that you may be worthy to fulfill every position that shall come to you. For they shall be varied and numerous and each one shall fit and qualify you the better for the leadership that is in store for you.


Your voice shall be heard both at home and in the mission fields in defense of truth, and while at times you shall pass thru dangerous experiences, yea, even accidents you shall escape unharmed for the angels shall be mindful of you, yea, even go before you and prepare the way. And while your influence shalt be felt for good among the living, it shall also reach in the spirit world, for the time will come, dear brother, when you will devote much time in the temples of the Lord.


I seal you up against the power of the destroyer even unto the day of redemption and bless you to the end that you may come forth on the morning of the first resurrection and take your place among the elect of the Lord; as a prince in your father’s house and together with a faithful and devoted wife and companion will labor under the direction of Holy Prophets during the great millennial reign and eventually be crowned as a Priest and King to rule and reign over a kingdom that shall be given you thru your faithfulness, enjoying all of the blessings of the Celestial Kingdom.


I seal these blessings upon you with a promise of their fulfillment thru your faithfulness in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


Third Blessing – January 14, 1943 Provo, Utah


Brother Williams:
I lay my hands upon your head and give unto you a Patriarchal Blessing, and with this blessing such instructions and such promises as the spirit of the Lord may direct. You have come with yearning in your heart to receive from the Lord through the Patriarch such words of encouragement and blessings and promises as will give your soul anchor as you trod the pathway of life and will give you a good goal toward which you may strive and to give you an impetus to achieve in the battle of life. This being your purpose and intention the Lord will not turn you away for he recognizes your faith. He has observed your integrity and he has been pleased with your disposition to achieve righteousness in your day and time. He has watched your walk and conversation and he has been pleased with all of your good works. He has not been unmindful of you for he has given you many blessings and He will continue to give unto you that which will be for your welfare here and hereafter.


He has given you a beautiful and worthy companion and sent choice spirits to you that you may have an opportunity of nurturing them and of caring for them and of bringing them up in fear and the admonition of the Lord. It is the will of the Lord that you should do so and exercise all the powers of your body and mind to provide for your family and to safeguard them from the accidents and dangers and ills of Your generation and as you strive toward this achievement I promise you that the spirit of the Lord will prompt you and give you light and vision and refine your judgments and give you wisdom that in all the affairs of your life you shall choose wisely and if you should make mistake as you subsequently, you must remember that the Lord has power to rule and over rule in all of your affairs for your good, and so it will be for your experience that you sorrow, that your soul may be refined, also your judgment, that you may become more Godlike as you increase in experience.


Pray unto the Lord for wisdom and understanding and vision of that which is ahead and by night and by day the spirit, line upon line, will reveal unto you the way of life that will resound to your soul’s salvation, temporally and spiritually, here and hereafter. Your knowledge of the gospel shall be increased and your testimonies, because of that which you see and hear and feel will come to you ultimately you shall know that Jesus is the Christ, the gospel is the plan of salvation, and the shadows of doubt shall flee away and line upon line the light and truth shall take their places.


You are of Israel, of the House of Joseph. You have been clothed with the Holy Priesthood which is power to officiate and to labor and it gives you power with the heavens and through the exercise of this Priesthood you can call down the divine blessings of the Lord upon yourself and upon all your family. You shall see the hand of the Lord in the affairs of your life and the power of priesthood exercised to the deliverance of the afflicted. Indeed, through your faith and faithfulness the sick shall be healed through your administration.


I bless you with lengthened days, with life and health and strength, that the protecting and preserving hand shall be over you that you shall be preserved from accident and danger, that you may properly evaluate all the experiences that befall you for the promotion of your salvation and exaltation in the hereafter.


The Lord expects you to qualify to be a teacher of men, an expounder of truth, a reveler of that which is true and worthy and holy. To this end devote yourself in your study and in your reflection and contemplation that you may know the truth, for in the truth you shall find freedom of thought and action.


Now I bless you that you may live until you fulfill the full measure of your creation here upon the earth. I bless you that you may have means to support yourself and your family and to achieve the worthy ambitions of your soul. I bless you with an inclination to always remember the Lord in your tithes and your offerings that you will remember to keep the commandments even the Word of Wisdom that you may be strong in body and mind, that the revelation of the Lord may be distilled upon your mind as the dews are distilled upon the grasses. I bless you that you may come forth in the morning of the first resurrection, clothed upon with a resurrected body to live and reign in your own dominion as a priest unto the Lord and thus to dwell with Him upon the earth when the earth shall be subdued and the glory of the Lord cover the earth as the waters cover the seas.


To this end I bless you and seal these blessings upon you in the authority of the Holy Priesthood and I do it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, even so; Amen.
-By Amos N. Merrill

July 22, 2010

IMPORTANT CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS

1911  Born - 4 December 1911 at Groveland, Bingham County, Idaho
1912  Christening - 4 February by Joseph C. Hart at Groveland
1919  Baptism - 6 December 1919 by Franklin G. Hale, at Blackfoot, Idaho
           Confirmed  - 7 December by Peter J. Williams
        Mother died - 19 December at Blackfoot, Idaho
        Buried Mother at Blackfoot Cemetery - 21 December 1919
1924  Ordained a Deacon by Charles w. Hancock at Wapello, Blackfoot Stake Id
        27 January 1924
1926  Graduated from eighth grade at Wapello, Idaho - May
1930  Graduated from High School at Blackfoot, Idaho
         Entered college at Moscow, Idaho - September University of Idaho
1931  Entered College at Pocatello, University of Idaho southern Branch went 
         for two and one half years
1932 Ordained an Elder by my father - 1 May 1932
        Received My Endowments - 9 June 1932
1933  Entered Civilian conservation Corp. - 13 July 1933
1934  Married Nyal Bowen in Logan, Utah Temple - 2 March 1934
1935  First Child born, Marilyn, Pocatello, Idaho - 23 February 1935
         Taught school at Wapello - September
         Scarlet Fever - October
1936  Became Principal of Riverside School, Blackfoot, Idaho - Route 2 Sept.
1937  Moved to Iona, Idaho and taught seventh grade - August 
         Second Child born, LaMar Bowen - 20 October 1937
1939  Supervisor of Aaronic Priesthood in Iona
1940  Ordained High Priest and set apart as 2nd councilor to Bishop Bruce M. 
         Olsen - Iona Ward - 21 April 1940
         Sort term mission with wife and children to Northern States in Lansing,
         Michigan - 17 May 1940
1941  Taught Summer School in Mountains at Deblin, Idaho - April
         Moved to Provo, Utah with family to attend school at Brigham Yount 
         University - 1 December 1941
1942  My Wife and I entered B.Y.U. 
Began this Genealogy Record - 26 January 1942