My Grandpa Fred Blau joined the church as a 17 year old in 1911 in Kansas. Missionaries came to the remote homestead where his family and his uncles’ families had settled after immigrating from Germany. There were no branches or other member families nearby, so the Blaus had church services, as they did everything else, together.

There were also no correlated gospel study materials. The missionaries left a single Book of Mormon and a hymnal, and these meager resources were the entire curriculum of gospel study.

As the family sang “In Our Lovely Deseret” and came to the second verse, they realized there must be a dietary code they didn’t know about! “Tea and coffee and tobacco they despise, Drink no liquor, and they eat but a very little meat..” This was their introduction to the Word of Wisdom! 

Without a copy of the Doctrine and Covenants, they had no more information. But they determined to eliminate those items from use in their families based on the little line in the song.

I’m still amazed at the faith and willingness of this little group of ancestors! With so few reasons or explanations, they still did their very best to obey what they did know.

I remember watching Grandpa in his late years reading his precious Triple Combination that had worn completely through the leather cover where his thumb rested. He really treasured the word of God! How delighted he would be to have the wealth of study materials I carry casually in my pocket! How grateful I am for them!  And how I hope to live up to his example of gospel scholarship and obedience!

~Nita Smith