On the 11th Day of Christmas Past,
Question: How was Pres. George Albert Smith a friend to the friendless (those known and unknown), especially at Christmas?
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Three incidences of George Albert Smith’s compassion
“As a young man George Albert Smith had decided that he would “be a friend to the friendless and find joy in ministering to the needs of the poor.” Throughout his life he tried hard to live up to his resolve. As an Apostle he showed special concern for those who were lonely and poor. He often spent Christmas Day in the poorest part of town visiting those everyone else had forgotten. One of his daughters, Emily Smith Stewart, wrote her memories of this activity.
‘Father always took us with him to make the rounds of the forgotten friends that he habitually visited on Christmas. I was a very little girl….I remember going down a long alley in the middle of a city block where there were some very poor houses. We opened the door of one tiny home and there on the bed lay an old woman, very sad and alone. As we came in, tears ran down her cheeks, and she reached over to take hold of Father’s hand as we gave her our little remembrances. ‘I am grateful to you for coming,’ she said, ‘because if you hadn’t come I would have had no Christmas at all. No one else has remembered me.’
Emily further noted: “Father always considered the fact that where people were all remembered, they might well do without his remembering them in a substantial way, other than to extend his sincere good wishes.”
‘All of our holiday celebrations at Christmas were motivated by the thought impressed upon us in early childhood: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’
Pres. Thomas S. Monson shares two more incidents, among which there are many others, of George Albert Smith.
“Junius Burt of Salt Lake City, a longtime worker in the Streets Department, related a touching and inspirational experience. He declared that on a cold winter morning, the street cleaning crew of which he was a member was removing large chunks of ice from the street gutters. The regular crew was assisted by temporary laborers who desperately needed work. One such worker wore only a lightweight sweater and was suffering from the cold. A slender man with a well-groomed beard stopped by the crew and asked the worker, “You need more than that sweater on a morning like this. Where is your coat?” The man replied that he had no coat to wear. The visitor then removed his own overcoat, handed it to the man and said, “This coat is yours. It is heavy wool and will keep you warm. I just work across the street.” The street was South Temple. The good Samaritan who walked into the Church Administration Building to his daily work and without his coat was Pres. George Albert Smith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His selfless act of generosity revealed his tender heart.
During a drive to amass warm clothing to ship to suffering Saints, Elder Harold B. Lee and Elder Marion G. Romney took President George Albert Smith to Welfare Square in Salt Lake City. They were impressed by the generous response of the membership of the Church to the clothing drive and the preparations for sending goods overseas. They watched President Smith observing the workers as they packaged this great volume of donated clothing and shoes. They saw tears running down his face. After a few moments, President Smith removed his own new overcoat and said, “Please ship this also.” The Brethren said to him, “No, President, no, don’t send that; it’s cold and you need your coat.” But President Smith would not take it back.”
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