Jay and I married in 1947. I learned late in our engagement that he was a Mormon. I had never joined a Church, and as he was a member, I felt he might like to have the Wedding in the Church that he belonged to. The only things that I knew about the Mormons was that they had a lot of wives, and they wore funny underwear - or so I was told. It was Jays Aunt Josephine Dover who insisted Jay get in touch with someone and have the Wedding in the Church. So that was to be my introduction. We were married in the Huntington Park Stake House in their Lounge - it was a long narrow room with a gorgeous fireplace. We were married in front of the fireplace that had been well decorated with white flowers. Jay took me to Church the Sunday after we were married. It was a "Fast Sunday". I thought it was weird the way people got up and cried and talk about things I didn't understand. Needless to say it was not the experience that would lead to a quick interest in knowing more. I think there must have been something brewing in the background that neither Jay nor I was aware of. We bought our first home and moved into a neighborhood full of Mormons. Apparently Jays records were sent to the Ward, and he was contacted. He hadn't been active since leaving for the Navy in 1945, so didn't show much interest. That didn't dampen the feelings of the Members. They invited us to some Ward Activities. I enjoyed myself, no one pressed me to do anything, and it was for sure they weren't going to get Jay involved. We lost that house which was in Norwalk, California and moved to Rivera, California. The city was annexed some time after we moved there and the name was joined with the Town that joined with Rivera. It is now known as Pico Rivera. It was here in 1952 that Mormon Missionaries: Elder Lowell Taylor and Elder Keith Labrum came tracting. Jay was home and I guess told them he was already and member and wasn't really interested. They asked about his wife. He, being honest, told them I wasn't a member so they left a Book of Mormon for me. At that time Jay was working Swing Shift and I was working Days. It saved on us having a sitter for Paul, who had joined us by then. When I came home and found the Book of Mormon on the side table I wondered why Jay had brought it home after all the years we had been married, nothing more had ever been said about the Church and he certainly hadn't had any reading material about it before. Well, I dusted around it and emptied the ash trays, both Jay and I smoked at the time. When he was home on Saturday I asked him about the Book. He said it wasn't his it was mine. I asked what he meant. He said well the Missionaries had been by and left it for me, that they would be back Tuesday evening. WELL - what a revelation. If they were coming, I at least had to look at the book, so I sat down and began to read. "I NEFEE being born of goodly parents", well you know the text. I don't know how far I read - I guess that isn't really important to the story anyway. When the Missionaries came, I was polite and told them I didn't really know much about the Church even with being married to a Mormon for years. They asked if I had read any of the Book they left for me. I said yes I had. They asked if I had any questions. I did. After we had discussed the things that had brought my questions, they gathered up their books and things and asked if they could come the next week. I said sure. When they came, they asked again if I had any questions, I did, we discussed them, they gathered up their books and left. This was the way things went for weeks. No lessons - they didn't have any at that time. It was the start of the "Golden Question" "What do you know about the Mormons and would you like to know more?" They asked me to commit to baptism. I told them that I was not ready to do so. We had planned a family vacation. It was the end of June and I would talk to them more after we returned following the 4th of July week-end. On our way home from Utah, visiting Jays family there, we were in an automobile accident. I won't go into the details here, but the results were I was injured seriously and was taken to my parents home in Huntington Park to be cared for. Of course the Missionaries didn't know what had happened. They kept coming by the house but never found anyone at home. By this time Elder Lowell Taylor had been transferred out of the area. His replacement was Elder Likes. Elder Taylor called because he had seen a newspaper article about a Mrs. Rosenberg who had been serious injured in an automobile accident near Las Vegas and he wondered if it could be the same one that he had been teaching before he was transferred? To this day we have never found that the accident had been in any newspaper or on any radio news broadcast, so we have no idea how that paper came into Elder Taylors hands. The question peeked the Elders interest, so they went to the neighbors and asked about me. They learned yes I had been hurt and I was staying with my parents. I don't think I was there more than a couple of weeks when I wanted to go home. Jay brought me home, and the Missionaries finally made contact again.
My injuries made it impossible for me to walk, so the Missionaries came and carried me to and from a car so I could attend their "cottage meetings". It was here I met other "investigators" and studied the Gospel Principles. It was a wonderful experience and I bore my testimony in one of these meetings before I was ever baptized. A group of "investigators" were going to be baptized in the Orange Stake Center, in Orange, California. I was ready and Jay had no objections, he just didn't want to be involved. He was working nights and couldn't attend the services. I was still not able to walk so was carried by Elder Labrum into the water and helped out. One of the Sisters helped me in the dressing room. It was a wonderful experience for me. I am not sure just what feelings I had except I knew that it was the right thing to do, and the Missionaries had enough faith in me to go ahead even though they had never really taught me, they had just answered my questions. Apparently that was what made them feel I was ready.
I was confirmed by Elder Likes following the baptism and it was a great feeling to be numbered among the Latter-day Saints.
I know it doesn't sound exciting. It wasn't until about 20 years later when I was visiting with Elder Lowell Taylor and his family in Kaysville, Utah that I asked him why the Elders had never taught me when they came to the house. He said: "you know if you had not asked, I would not have told you, but this is why."Every time we had an appointment with you, we felt we had to
really prepare because you were no ordinary contact. So we fasted, prayed and studied very hard. When we came, we had all we wanted to share with you laid out. We opened our Scriptures and started the discussion by asking you if you had any questions. You always said yes, things you learned in the Book of Mormon. We would answer your questions and everyone was exactly what we had studied and prepared to teach you. That happened every time we came to your house. To this day, I know that what I read and what I questioned was exactly what I needed to know to further my conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
NOW - could my membership be in jeopardy? I believe with all my heart the automobile accident was not an accident per say. I believe that Satan had a hand in it. No one else in the
car was injured. Just bruised. Just before the crash, I was setting there thinking just how beautiful the desert was. It was just about sundown - the shadows were lovely hues of purple and red with the blue of the sky turning darker. I thought to myself what a beautiful world the LORD had made and how fortunate I was to know just how beautiful; finding it in this dry HOT country. If I should die, I would be most fortunate to have learned this. The windows were rolled down because it was over 100 degrees and as I sat there I felt a strange feeling come over me through the window. In fact it was as if I had no strength at all. Paul asked me to take his shoes off. We had made a bed for him on the back seat. I asked him to wait just a minute. It took about all I had to get up and reach over the seat to take his shoes off. Just as I finished, I heard Jay say: "what is he doing". The car swerved, and I don't remember anything else except hearing Paul crying and saying: "My Mommies Dead"over and over again. I came to and found I was pinned in the windshield of the car. I told Paul I was alright, just give me a minute and I would show him. I pushed on the glass and freed my head - leaving a goodly portion of my hair in the glass. I found that my right leg was pinned between the dash and emergency brake, making a tight pressure that kept my torn artery from bleeding out. A young man opened the car door and asked if he could help - he was a Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff on his way home from vacation. He was trained in First Aid and would help. I asked him not to touch me as I felt like my leg was broken. He eased me from where I was and put a pressure bandage over my open wound which was the means of keeping the blood from flowing. I would have bled to death in a short time if those two pressures had not been applied when they were. An ambulance came and took me back into Las Vegas where I was given emergency treatment. When the Doctor came out of surgery, he told Jay he was not sure I would be able to bend that knee again or walk normal. I am certain that the LORD was answering the prayers of the Missionaries in my behalf, my knee healed and I have been able to walk normally. That happened when I was 23 - I am 79 now and except for a bit of arthritis in the knee, I get around just fine.
Written this 5th day of January 2009
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