me, Zoe, Sis. Catron
Bishop Jacob for the Glenwood Ward
Sisters Robertson and Forsgren
Glenwood Church Building
Today was an amazing day -- I am soooo grateful to be serving here in the Nebraska Omaha Mission.
On my shift at the temple on Saturday morning, I work with Sister Catron - she lives in Pacific Junction, Iowa which is four miles from Glenwood. She attends the Glenwood ward. Her daughter Zoe has received a mission to serve in the Japan Kobe Mission and enters the MTC Tuesday morning. I was talking with Sis. Catron about it and showing much excitement for her and her daughter. She mentioned that Zoe's farewell was today and she was afraid that no visitors would be there -- nobody from her family, since they are all non-members. She was kinda sad about that. I told her that I would come and support her. This was not just an announcement from her to me, but turned out to be an invitation but more important than that -- it turned out to be inspiration and a very spiritual day for me.
I arranged for members in my Fontenelle ward to cover my responsibilities and planned on attending the three hour block at the Glenwood ward. I was so excited and was also excited to see our sister missionaries: Sisters Forsgren and Robertson. Their first meeting is Sacrament meeting which starts at 10am. It's almost a 35 minutes drive. I got ready and then knelt in prayer and asked for safety while driving and asked if it were possible that I would feel some of my Glenwood ancestors: Lebbedeus Coons, the founder of Coonsville, which was later named Glenwood. He was also the first bishop of the first ward organized in Coonsville. So this was sacred ground for him and his family.
The Coons family was among the saints who left Nauvoo early in 1846. They crossed southern Iowa through deep mud and swollen rivers, eventually reaching the Pottawattamie Indian lands and the area which became Kanesville, the present-day Council Bluffs, Iowa. With thousands of saints arriving, it was necessary to spread out to get enough grazing land. Mary Ann gave birth to a daughter, appropriately named Patience, somewhere in the Pottawattamie lands. The Coons family, and others, settled about 18 miles south of Kanesville on the Missouri River. They named the town Bethlehem.
New church and civil government responsibilities were in store for Libbeus Coons, who had proved faithful in previous callings. The following commission came from the high council at Kanesville.
Bro. L. T. Coons: You are hereby authorized to choose you two counselors and act in the capacity of Bishop of all civil cases, cases of difference, debts, immoral conduct, etc., among the brethren. Do all things in righteousness and see that the law of God is honored, and the Lord bless you in so doing. Amen.
Done by order of the High Council of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the Pottawattamie lands, this 22 day of January, 1848. He received other assignments from Elder Orson Hyde of the Quorum of the Twelve, who presided over the Iowa saints, and from the high council in Kanesville. (taken from family history book)
Something happened today as I entered the beautiful valley where the Coons lived -- Coonsville, but first lived in Bethlehem. I was about three miles away from the church. I was listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and I was thinking of my ancestors. Those faithful and hard-working, faith endearing pioneers. Coons was also a medical doctor and traveled the countryside nurturing the sick. Like I said, I was about three miles away and a overwhelming spirit entered my car. I was surrounded by a spiritual force - my soul was filled with love and gratitude. I felt them - they know that I am here, they know that I love and honor them and the spirit that filled my car was so powerful -- tears streamed down my face as I took it all in and thanked them quietly for who they are and what they mean to me and I was soooooo grateful to be in their beautiful valley This spirit stayed with me the rest of the day. It became a soft urging or beckoning to find descendants, to search for those who live here - descendants of these lovely pioneers who are waiting for the gospel and don't even know it. To bring them to the knowledge of the gospel and to invite them to come unto Christ. I was reminded that we are responsible for the living and the dead. On the way out of the valley, the same feeling came over me as I passed the same area. This area used to be Bethlehem where the Coons lived for a time. Interesting.....
Yesterday (Saturday) I was assigned as a patron on an endowment session and the sister whom I was priviledged to perform her ordinances for was: Elna Christensen -- she died in 1886 and was from Omaha, Nebraska. It was another witness to me of the saints who stayed here or returned for some reason or came here later. She was one of them who now has received her ordinances in a temple right in her Omaha neighborhood from 1886. My heart was full of love and gratitude as I thought of her.
My heart was still racing, I was filled with a love for these pioneer ancestors of mine. I entered the building filled with the spirit. Sis. Catron was so thrilled that I really did come. And I think she was very surprised. She introduced me to the bishop. I told him how thrilled I was to be in his ward and that I was a descendant of the very first bishop in Coonsville which is not Glenwood -- Bishop Coons. I decided that I would get a picture with him. So now I have a picture of the first bishop who was called to be bishop in 1848 and now 168 years later - Bishop Jacob.
The meeting started and I was so excited to be there and to listen to Sister Catron and her daughter Zoe give their talks. To my surprise though, Bishop Jacob introduced me to the congregation as a guest and invited me to come up and bear my testimony. It was a moment of gratitude. I told them about my spiritual experience on my way to their meeting. I told them about my great great great grandpa who founded Glenwood and was the first bishop of their and I bore testimony of the Lord's love for this area for both the living and the dead and bore testimony of the love and strength I feel from my ancestors. I had several men come up to me after the meeting who have lived there for a long time and knew exactly who I was talking about ---- Bro. T. Coons.
Relief Society was special as I was asked to play the piano for the hymns -- how did they know I play the piano? The lesson was on the conference talk in April about refugees and I was able to explain a lot about the refugees living in Omaha and tell the sisters about some of the service opportunities available to them. After the RS was over the teacher came up to me and thanked me for sharing and said "funny thing, I was suppose to give this lesson last week, but switched with the teacher today because she is out of town. It was inspiring.
The meeting started and I was so excited to be there and to listen to Sister Catron and her daughter Zoe give their talks. To my surprise though, Bishop Jacob introduced me to the congregation as a guest and invited me to come up and bear my testimony. It was a moment of gratitude. I told them about my spiritual experience on my way to their meeting. I told them about my great great great grandpa who founded Glenwood and was the first bishop of their and I bore testimony of the Lord's love for this area for both the living and the dead and bore testimony of the love and strength I feel from my ancestors. I had several men come up to me after the meeting who have lived there for a long time and knew exactly who I was talking about ---- Bro. T. Coons.
Relief Society was special as I was asked to play the piano for the hymns -- how did they know I play the piano? The lesson was on the conference talk in April about refugees and I was able to explain a lot about the refugees living in Omaha and tell the sisters about some of the service opportunities available to them. After the RS was over the teacher came up to me and thanked me for sharing and said "funny thing, I was suppose to give this lesson last week, but switched with the teacher today because she is out of town. It was inspiring.
We enjoyed a delicious linger longer after the block in honor of Zoe and I was so happy to be able to enjoy the conversations with this great ward. It was a great day. This spirit lingered with me the rest of the day and still today -- I have work to do for my ancestors and the others who lived here.
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