Inspiration

Perhaps I should begin this dissertation by saying that all of my life I have felt that I could have been more spiritual – that I should have done more to justify the promptings of the Holy Ghost – that I should have lived a more worthy life.  I confess that I am weak and that some of the things which I will speak of in this document were a gift to me, an unworthy servant.

Yet I have strived to live a good life and to serve the Lord.  In certain callings in the Church I was entitled to heavenly guidance, and, in spite of my weaknesses, the Lord chose to provide direction.  I have to admit that at times I did not realize I was being inspired until I looked back and realized that what had transpired was the Lord directing the actions which were taken.  I have felt that this fact, alone (that I did not realize it was inspiration at the time) indicates my lack of being in tune with the spirit as I should have been.

Perhaps another factor should be mentioned in the beginning of this document:  My father, who, in my opinion, was one of the great servants in the Kingdom of God, was a very practical man.  While I am not sure I heard it from him – although I think I did, it was from him that I learned the concept that inspiration is 99% perspiration.  In other words, Heavenly Father gave us an intellect and understanding and experience that should provide the base for us to make good and wise decisions – even those affecting others and our callings in the Church.

I distinctly remember my father saying (not the exact words, but close), “while it is good to counsel together, too often we spend too much time talking and not enough time doing.  While others are holding meetings, I can be out getting the job accomplished.”

So I grew up with a certain “self-confidence” that the Lord expected us to get things accomplished and that he would be there to help.  I suppose this is a form of faith which was inbred into my soul from the time I was very young.  It was, so to speak, the way of life in our home.

As I grew older – even after Kay and I moved, with our family to Utah, I noticed in many others, who are good solid members of the Church that they often relied on the counsel of the leaders of the Church to know what direction they should take in their lives.  While there is no question we should listen to our leaders and follow their counsel, it is my opinion that we, as parents, are entitled to inspiration for the direction of our own family.  As a matter of fact I feel that some members use this dependence on leaders and others for inspiration as a crutch rather than seeking guidance/inspiration directly from the Lord for their lives.  We should not have to be “commanded” or “counseled in all things.  I am convinced that it is not appropriate for us to “lean” on the direction of our leaders at the expense of being spiritually lazy.  If, as parents, we are prayerful and earnest in our desire to know what is best for our family, the Lord will guide us.  This same principle applies to our Church callings – we are entitled to inspiration for that calling and should seek and follow that inspiration when it is received.  As long as the promptings we have are consistent with the Gospel Plan and with the teachings of the Church, we can move forward with confidence, knowing that we are entitled to this direction from the Spirit.  We should not be spiritual cripples expecting to have others do our seeking and receiving our inspiration for us.

Perhaps I have shared some of these experiences before, but a couple are very current – so please indulge me.

Let me start with experiences of a recent vintage:

As is known to our family, one of the countries to which we are assigned as Humanitarian Missionaries is Haiti.  It is not a secret that, while we love the people there, and feel blessed to be able to be of service, Haiti is not a pleasant place to go.  As a matter of fact in a recent visit there Kay said, I believe this is my third least favorite place in the entire world to be.  On occasions she has even moved Haiti to number two.  In August of 2014, we had just completed a rather rigorous visit to Haiti and had told everyone we did not feel we would return until late spring of 2015.  However, we (maybe, really “I”) started getting some strong feelings that we needed to go back soon to do some planning for 2015 and to give some guidance to the two men with whom we work in that country.  In addition I felt we should evaluate how part of the Family Food Production Program was being administered (in particular the Training for the families that were participating in the member welfare projects).  It was just a “feeling” at first.  Knowing it was not a favorite thing for Kay (and even me) to do, I pushed the “feelings” aside.  The “feelings” became “nudgings” and the “nudgings” eventually became strong “impressions” to the point that it became clear the Spirit was giving us direction and could not be denied.  With Kay’s blessing we requested that we go back to Haiti to conduct a education and planning session with the two men we work with there, and to sit in on a Training being conducted in one of the Wards with Participating Families in a Chicken Project.  Permission was granted and we were back in Haiti within two months.

To indicate my weakness: I had some fear and trepidation about going back. I was not sure how the two men would accept the training (which was also going to be a planning session for 2015 for Haiti), and we only had suspicions that there were problems with the Training of the Participating Families.  Lack of faith?  Maybe.  But it motivated us to be very well prepared.

Just a word of explanation:  We have learned that the leaders around the world have little trouble finding “experts” to train people on how to raise chickens or other small animals.  What we have discovered is that knowing how to market the chickens or animals after they are raised is harder to teach, and that there are not as many “experts” available.  Things like budgeting, personal finance, and pricing as well as marketing become as big a challenge as raising the animals. 

We have some very successful projects in Haiti.  There have been problems, to be sure, but the successes are much greater than anticipated.  Much of the success is due to the fact that the local leaders are in charge and accept their stewardship earnestly.  In the approval process for each project, we require that the local leaders submit a resume of the person who they have selected to teach the various elements of the program including who is going to teach the “finance and marketing” course.  So we have done all we could to cover this matter, but it was about this type of training that we received the hardest “nudges” by the spirit.

On our visit to Haiti we allocated a full day to audit the Marketing and Finance Training for the Croix Des Bouquet 2^nd Ward.  As you can imagine this is a course that could and should take about four hours and maybe that many hours in a couple of sessions.

I will not go into all of the gory details, but when we arrived at the building where Training was going to be held, all of the Participating Families were there, but the Trainer was not.  He arrived over an hour late.  As it turned out the trainer was not the person whose resume we had been given and approved. He was, however, the man of the household of one of Participating Families in another Ward.  Well, the training lasted for about an hour and was a disaster!  The brother was not prepared, did not stick to the subject and presented some incorrect information.  He gave no guidance on the important points that were intended.

Bingo!  Now we knew why we had received the inspiration (nudgings, impressions, etc.) to come to Haiti.  We dealt with the problem of that course, and with the translation help of one of the men we work with (a member of a Stake Presidency) we continued teaching  the class.  Obviously it was awkward because the brother who had come to train was in the room.  But we were able to make him feel good and finish as best we could.

Here is the rest of this story:  Because of this experience, the eyes of the local men we work with were opened (not sure why they did not understand the problem before our “nudgings” since at least one of them had sat in on Trainings before).  We were able to discuss the problem and possible solutions.  There were two obvious solutions:  First, if there was going to be a change in the Trainer, the new Trainer would have to be credentialed and approved.  Second, it would be necessary to have a course outline to provide to the trainers so that the salient points would be covered and could later be referred to by the Participating Families.  In addition some tools needed to be provided to the Trainers.

So that night Kay and I went back to the hotel, and I began to type a course outline. This was a key example of inspiration flowing.  I had prayerfully asked for help – and it came in torrents.  I began to type and the outline and the thoughts poured into my mind.  Within about three hours the Couse outline was completed and ready for review.  As we met with our associates the next day we scrutinized the outline and made a few corrections and adjustments, but the Curriculum for course that was prepared in one brief sitting was now ready for any instructor to use.  Later a couple of tools were added, but the basic outline remains intact.  There was no way that I could have written that Course Program by myself.  True, we had learned a lot over the years and we knew what many of the problems were, but organizing the thoughts and ideas for presentation would have taken days – even weeks to accomplish.

This was real testimony of how the Lord guides us.  In this instance as in most others, the Lord expected me to be prepared.  Over the past four or five years we have gained experience and have learned through our mistakes and successes.  We have come to be able to pinpoint areas of weakness and concern, and we have tuned our minds to spot problems.  So we have been prepared.  The Lord chose to use the promptings (which are a form of inspiration) to get us back to Haiti to address the problems and then the Lord opened my mind when the time came to produce the Training Document – which was direct inspiration.  Kay sat there as the document was being produced and had the same witness that I did – the hand of the Lord was directing the action that was taking place.

Now, you say, this is certainly an insignificant matter.  This is true.  This is also a testimony of the fact that regardless of what our calling might be, if we are serving the Lord and our fellow man, it is important to the Lord, and we can expect his direction if we seek it and if we are prepared.

When we receive spiritual promptings, if we do not act upon them, I am convinced that we will be held accountable for our inaction.  It is important to live so we can be guided by the Holy Ghost, and it is important to act upon the direction we are given by the Holy Ghost.

I am sure that all of you have had similar experiences.  I know that at times, when I have been working on a talk it seems that I have a mental barrier.  Then as I am contemplating and pondering and praying, thoughts come to my mind and I write on the paper almost as fast as my hands can go.  I remember the talk I gave on Gratitude so many years ago was written in a most unlikely place.  I knew that we had a “Night With The Stake Presidency” coming up, and I could not figure out what to talk about. This was a special event and required a message that would bless the lives of the members of the Willow Creek Stake.

I was on a business trip in a Motel in Kansas City – I can remember the experience like it was yesterday, and it was 30 years ago or more.  A thought came to my mind – pretty much out of nowhere, and I began to write the talk.  Inspiration?  It could not have been anything else.  The thoughts were certainly not in my mind just a minute before.  And that talk has been used for these thirty years or more on several occasions.  It sort of became a hallmark of my tenure in the Stake Presidency.  It was not of my doing – it was the Lord guiding me and using me to provide a message that he wanted delivered.

I remember when I was called as Bishop the first time.  We had a small group – with very few priesthood holders. And some of the priesthood holders we had were less than active and most were new in the Church.   I knew immediately who my first counselor should be – it was an obvious and clear decision.  However, I struggled and struggled with the second counselor.  After about a week, the time for the meeting where we would be sustained was drawing close, and I still did not have an answer.  I had visited several families on trumped up reasons to get better acquainted and had done all I knew to do to receive guidance – including fasting.  As I knelt by my bed petitioning the Lord a couple of nights prior to the meeting, all of a sudden a name came to me.  It was literally like a neon light with the name of the person who I should call. The name was not one that I had even considered.  As I finished my prayer, I had total assurance that my petition had been answered, and I knew who to call.  It turned out to be the right decision – because it came from the Lord.  That was about as dramatic a revelation as I have ever had.

There are a score or more experiences I have had where inspiration led and guided me.  I will not enumerate any more specific experiences here. 

There is one other area of inspiration which has impacted the life of our family which should be mentioned.  That is the inspiration we have received as we have made decisions where to live as a family.  Just a few comments about this:

The first instance which I would like to mention is the inspiration that James and Grace Cullimore, my parents, had to remain in Oklahoma City.  The same could be said for Morris and Juanita Haness, Kay’s parents.  Because of these two couples making the determination to live where they lived, Kelvyn and Kay met and became a family.  The story of Grace and Jim staying on Oklahoma City is legend – but there were circumstances regarding the move of Morris and Juanita that are also interesting.

I am personally convinced that our move as a family to Miami, Oklahoma (of all places) was inspired.  I think it had very little to do with the business reasons which motivated us to make the move - I am now convinced that the Lord needed some strength for the Church in this area and we were chosen.  There are many evidences of the hand of the Lord in the move – both for our own family and the many other individuals who were impacted. There is no way we could have known what was needed in Miami and also in the Oklahoma Mission where I served for two years.

The same could be said for our move to Branson, Missouri.  Just as in Miami, the business factors did not turn out as we had planned, but the impact on the Church in the area was significant.  Not that we were so great, but we became instruments in the hand of the Lord in teaching, training, and serving.  We were given inspiration and direction that made a difference.  The only credit we can take is that we listened to the Lord and tried to do His bidding.

If there is one thing that Kay and I have tried to incorporate into our lives it is, “I will go where you want me to go dear Lord, and I will do (at least try) what you want me to do.”

We feel it is inspiration that has lead us to “paths that we may not know.”  As mentioned above, these paths began when both James and Grace Cullimore and Morris and Juanita Haness were led to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  Then the paths took Kelvyn and Kay Cullimore first to Miami, Oklahoma then to Salt Lake City then to Branson, Missouri.  But that was just the beginning.  We could have never imagined that the Lord would ask us to go to Myanmar and then to 30 other countries in the world in His service.   

Just one thought about the inspiration of the Lord in directing our lives:  How could we deny inspiration in our move to Salt Lake City.  We had prayed fervently about where to move when it became clear that Miami, Oklahoma could not be our long-term location.  When we determined to move to Salt Lake City, we were confronted with a major determination as to where we should purchase or build a home.  We were seriously considering the Farmington area, but were having difficulty in making a decision. 

My father had just been filled a conference assignment to the Willow Creek Stake in the Sandy area of Salt Lake City.  He suggested we look there.  The timing of his visit, his impression with the area, and the subsequent events that led to our building a home in Willow Creek have all proven to be far more than a coincidence.  I am convinced it what the inspiration of our Father in Heaven that directed us to make our home in Willow Creek.  The future spouses of Kelvyn, Kirk and Kathi all lived in the same ward that we moved into in Willow Creek.  Kim was introduced to Mitch by a member of the ward we lived in.  How could we possibly deny the power of inspiration and the direction of the Lord in our lives? The destiny of our family was determined by that move!  We thank the Lord for His guidance and inspiration.

The stories are too numerous to iterate in this document, but I can bear record that the Lord has guided our lives through inspiration – mine individually and our family, each and every one.

I am grateful for the Lord’s direction in my life.  I know that God lives and I have a personal witness that He cares for us and will direct us if we allow him to do so.

The Holy Ghost is real and has been a power in my life.  I acknowledge that I have been blessed far beyond my worthiness.  For this I am most grateful.

Kelvyn H. Cullimore

February 2015