As I was cleaning my files, I came across this wonderful story. Here's the story:
Elder Frank Croft was a missionary in the southern United States in the early day s of the Church. He taught the gospel in an area where some of the people became very angry at his teachings. A mob of armed men forcefully took him into the woods, where they told him to remove all of his clothing above the waist. They tied his arms and body to a tree and prepared to lash his back until the blood flowed.
Elder Croft had no alternative but to do what the mob asked, but as he was doing so, a letter fell from his pocket. It had been written by his mother, who lived in Utah. A short time before, Elder Croft had written to his parents telling them about the mob violence, and this letter from his mother was an answer to his concerns.
The letter said:
My beloved son, you must remember the words of the Savior when He said,
“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven;”
also
“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
Also remember the Savior upon the cross suffering from the sins of the world when He had uttered these immortal words,
“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Surely, my boy, they who are mistreating you Elders know not what they do or they would not do it.
Sometime, somewhere, they will understand and then they will regret their action and they will honor you for the glorious work you are doing. So be patient, my son, love those who mistreat you and say all manner of evil against you and the Lord will bless you and magnify you in their eyes and your mission will be gloriously successful.’”
The leader of the mob picked up the letter and began to read it. His face and eyes were so hard and cruel that Elder Croft knew no sympathy would come from him. He closed his eyes and waited for the beating to begin, silently thinking of his home and his beloved mother.
He opened his eyes a few moments later and found that the leader had seated himself on a nearby stump and was rereading the letter. His face had undergone a great change. “Much of the hardness and cruelty in his face were gone; his eyes were slightly dimmed by moisture. His whole personality appeared to have changed. He would read a line or two or a paragraph and then sit and ponder, and deep down in the Elder’s conscience was the hope, yes, the conviction that the man’s heart had been touched by the loveliness and beauty of his mother’s letter.”
The man finally arose and said, “‘Feller, you must have a wonderful mother. You see, I once had one, too.’ Then, addressing the other member of the mob, he said, ‘Men, after reading this Mormon’s mother’s letter, I just can’t go ahead with the job. Maybe we had better let him go.’ Elder Croft was released and went his way”
*After reading and pondering what I've read, I remembered my Mom and all of her teachings which benefited me a lot. Since I am away from home, the only thing I can do now is to do what she taught me and surely I know that I will be safe. I miss home, but come December, I'll see them again.^_^
