While I was a student at BYU, I remember visiting Grandma Blanche (Blanche Ruby Worthen) at her condominium in Salt Lake City, Carriage Lane. It was a nice development with plenty of flowers, especially petunias which she loved and paid the gardeners extra to plant outside her unit. Grandpa (Charles Cash Rampton, Jr.) was also there. I wish I could remember more of the details, but I can't. What I do remember was her scolding Grandpa for something. I was shocked. Later she explained to me, "Charlie, dear" (that's what she always called me) "I will always be your dad's mother and it will always be my job to correct him when needed." How true. You never stop being a parent with all the attending responsibilities.
The last few weeks I have written about George Adam Linnebach, Grandpa Joe Bush's father. He, too, believed that principle of parental responsibility. He was always concerned, and undoubtedly saddened, that his oldest and only son was not active in the church. We can only speculate on the number of father/son conversations that took place over the years between the two. But despite those heart-to-hearts and plenty of prayer, Grandpa Joe Bush (Arthur Phillip Linnebach) never was an active member of the church. He supported his wife and children going (for which we should be thankful) but church was not for him. He always had a Word of Wisdom problem and perhaps it was guilt from this that kept him from full fellowship. In December 1939 George Adam Linnebach tried a different approach to motivate his son. He wrote him a letter, a copy of which is still in existence, and gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon. This letter provides some insight into the faith and testimony that George possessed. Here is the letter. Remember when reading it that George's English was never perfect:
=================================================
To my dear son Arthur,
I feel very sorry to have to write this letter, but I feel as your father, it is my duty to do so and I ask and pray that the Spirit of our Heavenly Father might lead my hand and inspire me to say a few words to you which will be a blessing to you and your family and a comfort to your old parents.
As the holy Xmas is here again, a Feast of Love and Giving, then so also loveth God the world that he giveth his only begotten Son, to be born and die for us that we might be saved. Oh what I gift. Yes, we are Christ's people and try to make others happy, children the parents, parents the children. Yes, that brings me back sixty years far away, where my old neighborhood stands and I sure think you, my son, got the same feelings as your birth was in this beautiful city Karlsruhe. Yes, this coming spring will be 40 years ago. A great and sorrowful life is behind us and there, but I hope and pray that the Lord will bless us and thee my son ----and a blessed life may be ours in the coming year.
My dear son, may the Spirit of our Heavenly Father touch your heart that you may see the sweetness of life and enjoy your life in a better way in the future than you have done in the past. Yes, when I think back almost 40 years ago, you had been born to us as our oldest child. Yes, oh this joy and happiness was in our humble home. A little later our missionaries did come to our home and brought us these glad tidings. The true church is again on the earth, the Lord has again spoken from heaven; yes, the Lord has blessed us that we could see the light that shines out of darkness. A few years later we left our dear old fatherland, yes our loved ones, my dear old mother, your dear old father did come out here about 7000 miles just for the gospel's sake, to a new land, another language, all everything different, with four little children, probably you can remember the hard times we went through. But in all these struggles, it was our humble desire to serve our God and to make our children a home. Yes, we cannot say a swell home, but we have done the best, I hope, for the conditions we have been in. But we kept our faith and the Lord has blessed us wonderfully by hard work sorrow and struggle. Yes, you sure can remember when I worked for Buehner and took you with me to work. The men who we worked with in the Depression did come to me and ask me to start up my own business. It was then you left me as I need you so bad. Oh, these had been very sad hours for your dad, but I struggled along, always faithfully and earnestly and the times did become better and better.
Yes, you went to California and get your experience (bad habits) where you still suffer under today. It is of no use to bring up past stuff, but it makes us think sometimes and we may think "not anymore".
My son Art, it is never too late to repent, yes repent. Take a good look at your dear wife and your dear little children, look around your home. If you do not think "I will be a better husband to my wife, a better father to my dear children, a better son to my old worrying parents, a better citizen to my country, I will serve my God with all my strength and power, I want to get the holy priesthood of God, I want to be married in the holy Temple of the Lord to my dear wife. I want my dear children sealed to me because they are mine and I love them, yes, I will seek wisdom out of the best books, I will go to my meetings and take part of the holy Sacrament, I will pay my tithing and fast offerings which the Lord requires of me that I may enjoy his blessings. Yes, to do these I will try good and hard to quit smoking, drinking and I will try to keep my body clean and sound, that the Holy Spirit can dwell in me."
"Oh may the Lord bless me that I can do it"
My dear son what do you think of your loving father's suggestions? They are only for you and yours welfare. It is my humble desire and mind and your mother's wishes as an Xmas gift from their only son. Then understand, through study and obedience, the glorious purpose why we are here on this earth, it is for a wise and glorious purpose as we are all the sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father in the spirit. When we die our spirit goes to spirit world, there he waits until the resurrection, then our body, yes our sanctified glorified body, will take its spirit again to be united and live through all eternity. Yes my son, I feel that you cannot understand these glorious things which our Father in Heaven has prepared for us if we are faithful. Oh my son these things are true, just as true as I am in your father. Therefore my son I want you to enjoy these wonderful gifts and blessings. Oh, if you listen to these things, you will see how your body will change. It is only the Devil that wants to keep us away from doing our duties and serving our Lord. I know my son that you will have a hard battle to fight but if you want to be victorious, you have to do it and you will thank your Father in Heaven day and night. Your parents are praying for you. May of the Lord bless you my son. I give you a little Xmas gift, it is the most glorious book besides the Bible that is on the earth, given to Joseph Smith. I pray thee read and study it and you will be blessed .
=====================================
That is quite a testimony......"a voice speaking from the dust," not only to his son in 1939 but to all future generations who have an opportunity to read it and feel its spirit. In 1939 Grandpa Joe Bush would have been 39 years old. Grandma (Lois Fae Linnebach) would have been 9. I don't know that I will write any more about George Adam Linnebach. But, through what I have written these past few weeks, I have come to have a greater esteem for the man that he was. In some respects, he was like Father Lehi who listened to the promptings of the Lord, took his family from their homeland, into the wilderness, and finally to the promised land. The journey was not easy. Laman and Lemuel contributed much to that fact. George Adam Linnebach was taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ by missionaries in his homeland of Karlsruhe, Germany. He was moved upon by the Holy Ghost which bore witness to him of the truth. He and his wife were baptized. And then, perhaps most remarkable of all, sold all he had and moved his young family to Zion. He did not speak English, had no place to stay and no job. But, as I wrote before, he had faith. And that faith resulted in a good life for he and his family. Thanks be to God for George Adam Linnebach.
 |
| Arthur Phllip Linnebach and his children Glen, Diane, Lois and Carole - photo taken about the time of the Xmas Letter |
No comments:
Post a Comment