From Pythagoras to Salt Lake City

By John Andreadakis

Here is an expanded perspective of Greek History and aspects of both old and Modern Greek history that you would not find elsewhere. Greek and Hebrew languages and writing have nothing in common, yet their alphabets are identical. What does this mean? Where was the Greek language developed? Was it developed in Athens? No, not really. Pythagoras left his country to learn. He learned mathematics to teach us even in our days. But he also found the existence of a true and caring God and wanted his people to know it also. As Pythagoras of old in a similar fashion, the author of this book left Greece and immigrated to the United States to learn electronics. He used to think that religion was the knowledge of stories about good men God loved, but only in the old days, not today. Two young missionaries knocked on his door and taught him that a true religion is a set of principles we needed to strive to learn and follow. How can a person know if a church is true? The author's life combined with the discovery of such principles gave him a happier way of life and his children are blessed because of it also.

Faith, humility, honesty, integrity, and many other principles are what our world is in need of today and are well documented in this book. These principles make everyone a better person, a happier person in a better society. Is Salt Lake City a good milestone? It has been for this author and for many other people from all walks of life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 10, 2011
• ISBN: 9781463431938

John Andreadakis

John Andreadakis was born on Samos, a small Aegean Greek island, at the beginning of World War II. He was raised in a farming family among seafaring people. From his grade school to high school he exhibited an above average aptitude in mathematics; therefore, his uncle sent him a set of university books in physics to prepare him for higher education. His father as a young man before World War II had worked in the States and brought back to his home in Greece a stack of National Geographic magazines. Upon finishing high school John lost his father to an illness and was unable to pursue higher education. Those university books, the National Geographic magazines, and finally, his military service exposed him to electronics, and in general, fueled his appetite and desire to do something in his life. He seized the opportunity to become a navigating officer with the Greek merchant ships, and in the process was initially excited to see the world, learn languages and more electronics. As a navigating officer, he traveled the whole world. He saw firsthand the fury of Mother Nature, and studied extensively weather patterns. Forecasting the weather and recording weather patterns in the ship's log was a navigating officer's duty for the protection of the ship and the crew. Disappointed by a sailor's life, he immigrated to the United States to study more electronics, and upon his graduation was hired by a major computer company as an electronics engineer. In the end of his long career with that company, he studied and received dual certification for HVAC. When the discussion came up about Global Warming, he had something to say.

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From Pythagoras

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Salt Lake City

John Andreadakis

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© 2011 John Andreadakis. All rights reserved.

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No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 07/18/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4634-2774-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4634-2773-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4634-3193-8 (ebk)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011910750

Printed in the United States of America

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Contents

Chapter One

WHERE I COME FROM

Chapter Two

PYTHAGORAS

Samos Island

Wise men of Egypt and Israel in captivity

Religious conversions

Faith

The cycle of faith

Chapter Three

WHY PYTHAGORAS?

Leaving one’s homeland

The vessels of the Temple of God

The Lord’s punishment comes by withdrawing His protection

Philosophy and wisdom

True churches

Chapter Four

CHURCHES OF GOD

Enoch and Zion

Being of one heart and of one mind

Melchizedek

Abraham

Isaac

Chapter Five

HE TRULY WAS A SAINT

Tradition or a superstition

Chapter Six

WHAT IS A SAINT?

Baptizing infants

Worshiping saints and icons

Liturgy

Chapter Seven

EARLY MODERN GREECE

Greek and Roman influence

Byzantine Empire

The downfall of the Byzantine Empire and Turkish occupation of Greece

Samos during the Turkish occupation

World War II and Greece

Christopher Columbus

Chapter Eight

MY COMING TO THE PLANET EARTH

My infant baptism

My first solid food

Chapter Nine

THE HOLY LAND

My second baptism in Jordan River

Seeing my father for the first time

An interesting side note

Chapter Ten

THE YEARS OF INNOCENCE

Adam’s innocence

Innocence and spirituality in our mortal life

The fall of Adam was a noble behavior

Chapter Eleven

HOW DOES INNOCENCE DEPART

Selfish choices

Baptism and remission of sins

Questions about this life

Job

Atonement

Pride and eternities

Who was there during the Creation?

Chapter Twelve

ATONEMENT

Worthiness of a person

What is the value in Jesus’ suffering?

Abundance from God

Chapter Thirteen

MY FATHER’S RETURN HOME

Fighting the Germans in Africa

Greek Monarchy

Democracy in Greece

Chapter Fourteen

A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF GREECE

Athens not the origin of Greece

Macedonia and Alexander

Greek and Roman influence

Byzantine Empire

Pythagoras’ influence

Chapter Fifteen

GREEK LANGUAGE AND WRITING

Alphabets

Greek and Hebrew Alphabet comparison

Chapter Sixteen

THE EARLY SCHOOL YEARS

Chapter Seventeen

NOTABLE EVENTS OF MY SCHOOL YEARS

Karagiozis and movie theaters

An annual event

Clean Monday

Speaking accents

The family priest

An Easter celebration

My father’s illness

Chapter Eighteen

A YOUNG CHRISTIAN ORTHODOX

Chapter Nineteen

A YOUNG SAILOR

My first ship

On to the second ship

The Air Force enlistment

On to big ships

A navigating officer

First home visit

Back to the seas

Navigating Officer Certification

My sister’s complication

On to another ship

More problems on the ship and home

On to the last ship

The fate of my good friend Donald

Back to Greece once more

A young sailor no more

Greeks and Church still under military rule

Chapter Twenty

STEPPING INTO A NEW LIFE

Thoughts and feelings of an ex-sailor

Is the Lord nudging us sometimes to act differently?

On to a new direction

In a new country

An older college boy

Meeting someone

Going to church every Sunday

A small traditional cloud

I was not a Greek priest

Being married

Chapter Twenty-One

THE NEW LIFE

Working for Digital Equipment Corp

The downfall of the Greek Military Coup

Something was missing in church

The loss of Jasmine and the birth of Michael

The need to be tested

Michael’s baptism

Our move to Illinois

A visit from young missionaries

Michael’s invitation for a prayer

A picnic with the missionaries’ church

Our last visit to the Greek Church

Chapter Twenty-Two

A GREEK MORMON

An excursion back to Massachusetts

A visit to Palmyra

Greek missionaries in Chicago

Temple preparation and visit

Reactions from our families

Infant baptism

Why a new church

My blessings in becoming a Mormon

Chapter Twenty-Three

THE PENALTY OF MISTRUST

A calling was rejected

Our transfer to Colorado Springs

The penalty

Falling away

Seeking the right help came with a blessing

A humble wedding

Our penalties can become our blessings

Chapter Twenty-Four

THE DOWNFALL OF A GREAT COMPANY

Wisdom in higher learning

Pitfalls of pride

Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?

Humility

A respectful king and a prideful son

Chapter Twenty-Five

OUR MOVE TO GREECE

Work found the Lord’s way

A call to move to Greece

Trials and blessing in Greece

What Is a Christian?

Nostalgia

Chapter Twenty-Six

SALT LAKE CITY, THE RIGHT PLACE

Being a happy father

Salt Lake City and the Olympics

The Right Place

The Articles of Faith

Christian Creeds

The Greek Orthodox Church Nicene Creed

The Nicene Creed (in English)

My translation from the Greek text

My admonition to the Greeks everywhere

My admonition to the Evangelical Christians

Preface

This is a Christian religious book, and at the same it is my life’s story as it was requested by members of my family.

I have been blessed to have been exposed throughout my life to great events, great people, good family, and teachers who have molded my thoughts, inspired me and excited my feelings. A combination of all the above have directed me to make a number of decisions for which some may come forward to question or even criticize me. But if I had to do it all over again, I have no illusion that I would do exactly the same.

My nationality is Greek and my heart is full of pride for the things I have seen from a very young age. The long history of this small country of Greece starts long before the time of the great philosopher, Pythagoras, and continues all the way to World War II and beyond. The philosophical mind of the people prepared this country to accept the possibility of a deity like the God of Daniel and of Israel and later the gospel of Jesus Christ. The existence of the Greek civilization is abundantly evident, filling the landscape of the country and adorning the museums, the literature, and the collegiate mind of modern times. Like the father in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, I find myself with the same pride of making the point: You see, this word is Greek. And It’s all Greek to me is not an excuse for me.

In undertaking the writing of this book, I want in no way to lead people in some new and strange direction. On the contrary, I hope that I will be able to excite pleasant and positive thoughts and ensure that everyone can be aware of his own possibilities and abilities to succeed in life, and more importantly to be happy and contribute to the happiness of others. In fact I strongly believe that none can find happiness in life unless he or she is actively involved in giving happiness to others.

In my relatively small height of 5 foot 8 inches, I stood a full head taller than my good mother and father. Yet my mother’s image, in my mind, had the stature of a giant. She never had a chance to go to school as she was the oldest of four girls. She usually was left to take care of the younger ones while her parents were working in the fields. She learned to read and write on her own, always lamenting about how much she would like to have gone to college like her older brother. In the fields she was working harder than men, and where skill was required, none could compare with her. I clearly remember her beautiful voice and many are those who remembered her beautiful singing while working close to her. She was also artistic in many other ways such as tapestry, knitting and drawing. If I had no other schooling at all, just being her son would have been enough to learn what I needed for life.

What I will be rehearsing in this book is going to be experiences from my life as I want my children to know where they, and I, and all of us come from. Yet a lot of my experiences have to do with the civilization of many centuries. Again, in no way do I want to come across as more intelligent than others or that I know it all. Simply, I know that every person has special gifts, and perhaps, in this book each person will find something that will trigger their interest or something that will perhaps fascinate them. After all, this is the method by which people discover their own gifts.

I am the father of six children. My first child, a girl, was born prematurely and died 10 hours later from breathing complications. Following that child I had one boy, and at that time I did not want to have any more children as I did not have the confidence that I would be able to raise them successfully in this life. A couple years later I met some young missionaries who literally opened my life and my understanding, and gave me the confidence to be a good father. Therefore I had three more children—one more boy and two younger girls.

Following the second girl things took the wrong turn. My wife decided to find her independence. The divorce that followed took from me not only my house, but also something more important, a big part of my relationship which I had with my children whom I loved dearly and do love them dearly even today. Finally I met my second wife, who not only played a big role at that difficult time of my life, but she still plays a big role in my life and she will play a big role in taking out from this script the Greeklish which abounds in all my writings.

Nancy is my best friend, my lover, and my companion in everything. I love her immensely and she gave me the new chance in life I did not think I had. Most of all she has helped me to no end in still being a good father to my children, who I know still love me and consider me their father. With my second marriage I had the opportunity and blessing to adopt Nancy’s daughter whom I love equally and who now is married and has three beautiful daughters of her own.

Chapter One

WHERE I COME FROM

My father was born on the same island of Samos, Greece as I was, and at the age of 15, he immigrated with my grandfather to the United States in 1920. My father stayed in Chicago, Illinois and my grandfather in Freeport, Illinois. In 1933 they returned to Greece where my father married my mother in 1937. I was born in December of 1940 and by that time the Second World War had started which took my father to the war front in Africa. My father was a mild and pleasant man, but he had one problem and that was drinking. Two things from him influenced my life. First was a big stack of National Geographic magazines he had brought to Greece and second an experience at age 18 when I was interested in studying in the United States, particularly at the Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana, and had received some literature. My father was in the hospital at that time and he looked at the papers I had from the university. When he finished, he looked at me apologetically and said, Do you really want to go to the United States? I have been there and I don’t think that this is the best for you, while tears were streaming down from his eyes. I did not insist, although I was not convinced. One month later he was transferred to a clinic in Athens and several months later without finding a chance to discuss the issue with him again, he passed away. That stack of National Geographic magazines early in my life taught me that out there somewhere was much more of the world—in some respects, better than what I knew and in others, worse. This was exciting for my young mind. I wanted someday to visit and know other places. Then my father’s unanswered tears started to haunt me with the desire to know what had happened to him. Many years later I met a friend of his in Indiana who did not have any better explanations. Nonetheless, he added that their young life in Chicago was not always the happiest one. Because of Prohibition, they had found themselves often running to the Indiana border to have some drinks.

Eventually I came to the United States thinking to study electronics at the DeVry Institute in Chicago, Illinois. At the time I was staying in Gary, Indiana with relatives. When I gathered enough courage, equipped with some maps, I took the South Shore train to Chicago to visit DeVry. I left very early that morning from Gary, but having no concept of the distances in that big city, I walked a lot, and wandered around much and did not make it to the school until sometime in the afternoon. Tired and disappointed from that experience in Chicago, I almost the same day made up my mind to return back to Greece. Chicago really scared me and my fathers tears haunted me even more. Fortunately, some friends told me about another school in Valparaiso, Indiana and when I visited that school, I felt more at ease and I stayed. A few years later my younger brother came to the States for his studies and he stayed in Chicago where he met his fiancé, also from Greece. Both of them finished their studies and right away returned to Greece and got married. Both of them felt unhappy with their presence in Chicago. When I came to the States I was 30 years old and when my brother came he was in his early 20’s. We both had some relatives to stay with and had someone close. My poor father was only 15 and had no relatives at all. His father was in the same state, but in Freeport which was straight west and close to the border of Illinois with Iowa, while Chicago is in the east by the lake. I can only imagine his difficulties in trying to learn the language, working to make his living alone, and I wonder how many would have attempted to take advantage of him. I felt that I had received my answer about my father and his tears. They were tears of loneliness, of fear, and of disappointment with no opening to escape and find comfort. The only escape he had was to run with his friends to the Indiana border in East Chicago, erasing his unhappiness in drinking. Now I admire him to no end for being able to remain the calm and pleasant man he was.

I will start with Pythagoras as the title indicates and I will end with Salt Lake City. Why will I start with Pythagoras? Already I have stated that I come from Greece but this is not the only reason. Why will I end with Salt Lake City? There are many reasons, but I will let these reasons come out on their own. Between the two there is a span of at least 2600 years. I want the reading of this book to be a positive experience for everyone, especially my children and my family.

Yes, I was born in Samos, Greece and I have been wandering on earth since then. But did really my existence begin at that point? Or had I existed before that? Some say that we have existed in another form. Others say that we are returning back to earth many times, but we are not remembering our previous existence. And yet others say that we are spirit children of God who is our Heavenly Father and that we have lived with Him as spirits before this life. How do we learn this truth? And if this is the truth, what is the reason why we do not know this fact in the first place?

Chapter Two

PYTHAGORAS

Before I explain why I am writing about Pythagoras, I would like to give a short synopsis about his life, and I will present some small but interesting details.

Pythagoras was born on a relatively small Greek island named Samos around 600 B.C. His parents were not rulers of the island, but close to it as they played the role of ambassador to Cyprus and Egypt. His father was a merchant from Miletus, who in a time of famine brought to Samos a shipload of corn. The fact is that both his parents were travelers of the then known world.

Samos Island

The ancient capital city of the island of Samos was in the southeast corner of the island and was famous for many centuries starting well before the 10th century B.C. When we speak of Samos referring to the ancient days we refer to the island itself and the city in the southeast corner of the island which name changed later to Tigani and today is known as Pythagoreion being named in honor of Pythagoras. In our day the capital of the island is the city in the northeast section of the island which was called Vathy but its name has been changed to Samos also. The poet Homer, the writer of the ancient epic of Troy, had visited the island, and although blind, described the sounds of industry he heard and experienced during his walk from the ancient city of Samos to the temple of the goddess Ira (Hera). The city was well protected by a strong stone wall and the safe manmade harbor provided refuge for a sea commerce. This safe harbor is in existence in its original form, even today.

Five kilometers outside the city, and incidentally in a marshy area, was the temple of goddess Ira by the seaside. The place where the temple was built had a sacred significance which is indicated by the elaborate effort to stabilize the soft marshy ground. Far more suitable ground on which to build such a massive structure was available just a very small distance from there. The temple has stood there for many centuries and the greatest destruction to it was caused by the Ottoman navy in 1824 A.D. when they unsuccessfully tried to recapture the independent island of Samos. Today from the original 132 columns only one column is still standing—visible from all the surrounding area, although it is only one-third of the original height. The city of Samos was closely related to other famous cities, especially Ephesus and Miletus which were straight east from the island on the coast of which today is Turkey, and also closely related to other cities in Egypt and on the island of Cyprus. Both cities of Miletus and Ephesus had equally magnificent temples. The three temples form a perfect isosceles triangle with the two exactly on the north and south line and the one on Samos Island being the same distance from the other two.

In the capital of Samos Island which is Samos City there is a small museum where the majority of the displayed artifacts are from the Temple of Ira. The majority of the articles is gifts to the goddess and come from many faraway places and distant centuries in time.

One philosopher prior to Pythagoras was Thales from the neighboring city of Miletus who in his old age met Pythagoras in his youth and recognizing his bright mind suggested he go to Egypt to learn more in his life. When Pythagoras was 20 years old his parents sent him to Egypt so that he would be trained by the wise men of the Pharaohs. Ten years later King Nebuchadnezzar defeats both Israel and Egypt and carries the wise men of both countries captive to Babylon. [1] Some historians place Pythagoras’ life later by 20 years. It is positively known he was carried to Babylon as a captive from Egypt. But there is only one known release for such wise men from Babylon and that was done by King Darius. I strongly believe that Pythagoras was carried to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar for another reason. If he had not lived in Babylon together with the wise men from Israel, then all the influence he would have had in his life would be from the Egyptian wise men and teachers and this would have not changed by much his religious understandings.

Finally at the age of 60 he was freed and allowed to return home. When back on the island of Samos he opened a school, but his teachings were not in agreement with the local authorities and the local religion. His school was closed and he was threatened to be put to death. He spent several years in the caves of the rugged mountains in the west part of the island and finally escaped to Croton, Italy,[2] where his teachings were better received. His school in Croton, Italy was secluded and young students had to pay a lot of money to the school but at the end of their studies the money was returned to the student and his family. His students were young men from all the known Greek cities of those days. The subsequent philosophers of Greece were greatly influenced by his teachings and secretly were reading his books. His teachings indicated a monotheistic influence but none indicated how he developed these monotheistic ideas. Some suggest that he had visited India and China but there is no documented travel to those places nor was it easy to be done in those years. Besides, Pythagoras’ plan was to leave his home and go away to learn, the same way many young people leave their homes even today so that they can go to a place where training and learning is more available and accessible. His intent was not to be held captive even if it was in a palace of a great ruler. The only place he would look forward to going would have been his homeland and this is what he did. Even in my case I can say that returning home to Greece is a pleasant thought. But clearly also I can say that my wish to be closer to my children and grandchildren is stronger than pursuing a return to Greece.

Wise men of Egypt and Israel in captivity

The reason I mentioned in the previous paragraph the events surrounding Pythagoras’ life is this: The wise captives from Israel and Egypt were respected and were not thrown into a prison. On the contrary, they were in the presence of the kings and even their children were allowed to be raised alongside of the king’s children.[3] Even if he was taken to Babylon in later years, I find it impossible for Pythagoras not to have known the young Daniel and not have heard of his God and not to have respected his religious beliefs. The fact that he also was allowed by King Darius to return to his homeland indicates that he merited the same respect from Darius the Hebrew friends of Daniel received, who were allowed to carry the sacred vessels taken from the Jewish temple back to Jerusalem.

Finally at the age of 60 he was allowed to return home. I believe that when he was back on the island of Samos, Pythagoras was anxious to speak and teach the local people and his countrymen about the experience and the testimony he had received during his captivity in Babylon. There was mutual respect between the people of Samos and the rulers of Egypt and even the rulers of Mesopotamia as evidenced by their gifts to the local temple which have been found there. If his teachings were in line with those of their friends in Egypt and Mesopotamia, they would have been received easier. His teachings must have been outside of their religious beliefs and understandings and contrary to their way of life. Not only did his teachings seem strange but also he seemed stranger, not having seen him for forty years, not recognizing anyone, and not being recognized by anyone. I stayed away from my hometown myself for 30 years and even I was not able to recognize many of those I used to know. For them to accept this kind of teachings was very hard. They closed his school and tried to put him to death. He escaped to the rugged mountains of the island where he remained for several years, and later found his way to the Italian peninsula. In Italy, he became more philosophical and careful in his writings and teachings concerning the One God. The subsequent philosophers likewise were more careful in their teachings in a similar manner and introduced in Athens the altar of the Unknown God, the one Apostle Paul found on his visit to Athens.

Religious conversions

Religious conversions have always triggered very strong emotional reactions toward or even from the abandoned faith, occasionally producing life and death situations. This was true then as it is true today and, unfortunately, will remain true in the future. Allegiance to a faith exhibits, consciously or even unconsciously, a high level of affection and this is what produces the increased level of emotional reaction. For example, the first 20 years of Pythagoras’ life had produced some form of faith triggered by his parents, his personal friends, and his teachers (some secular, others religious). His associations with all these people and their reactions have developed this faith. The following 10 years of his life when he moved to Egypt, brought a completely new set of associations, new leaders, new knowledge, new friends and foes, new customs, new language, exposure to new teachings, new expectations and norms. I can only imagine the extent of contrast all these new things had with what he already knew and he had faith in. Although the new environment did not necessarily demand a change to his faith, in no uncertain ways, it did cause him to reevaluate all his ideas, his preferences, his reactions to things and people, his beliefs, his knowledge and faith, and no doubt all these things brought some change in his faith. No matter how great or small this change in faith was, his faith was no longer the same as he had at first. The religious aspect of that faith would not be as different or as unacceptable, taking into account the friendly relations which existed between Samos and Egypt and Samos with the kingdoms of Mesopotamia, but Pythagoras’ teachings indicate some new influence from another religion and that new religion I strongly believe was a faith in the God of Daniel.

Faith

Faith as a term or as a word has often been used in a variety of relative ways but its definition is the accepted belief of something that is true but not readily perceived.

Some time ago I heard a lecture from a respected spiritual leader and a friend about the cycle of faith which further clarifies what faith is.

The cycle of faith

a. Faith always starts with some form of knowledge. I saw my sister and my parents and they also told me that when I go into a dark room and flip the switch on the wall, I will turn on the light and I will be able to see.

b. It looked like magic at first and quickly I developed the desire to find out if I could do the same trick—acceptance and trial.

c. Sure enough, it worked for me also and I developed the faith within myself that when I flip that switch I get light—well almost every time. I developed faith in the switch.

Then one day the light in my room did not come on and I was confused.

a. I was told that sometimes the bright thing on the ceiling, the bulb, may be burned out—new knowledge.

b. I had to try a new bulb for the switch to give me light again—new acceptance and new trial.

c. I tried the new bulb and the switch gave me light again—faith in a good bulb.

Time passed and one day even the good bulb did not do the trick anymore.

I had to learn about wiring and electricity, experiment with electricity, burn a few things and almost myself, learn about tools and learn how to trust them with electricity. I kept learning new things and I was able to use and trust many things concerning electricity, electronics, tools, devices, even computers. I have been going through this cycle of faith for very many years. I learned in the beginning how to find the bad computer tubes then the bad transistors and the bad IC chips and fix modules. Now the price of the final product like the computer have gone so low that it is not worth replacing modules; we just buy a new computer which is often for less money and it can give us much greater performance.

And so it is the same with our faith in life and with our faith in God. Today there are thousands of religions and many more denominations of major religions.

Can they all be right?

Can a god be defined by theory alone?

Can we fully base our understanding on our faith and trust in an ancient prophet as we read about him in a well-respected book?

Can we and should we trust our parents for the faith they have passed down to us? The answers to these questions are often yes. But the value of faith derived this way is not the best and is full of doubts and confusion, especially when you find yourself in a new environment away from the comfortable environment of being with your parents, in your hometown, and in your own country. Yet the development of strong faith is possible, if from a young age you learn to use this simple process of learning, accepting, and acting on the things that you learn and accept as true.

I want to bring the following story to exhibit the result of the correct way of learning and the effect it has on faith.

A church leader, whose writings we read and whose talks we often heard and whom I met personally at a fireside, served as mission president in South America. He went there with his wife and all his young children. In the home where they lived, they employed the services of a good local lady whom they used as housekeeper. As a good mission president he tried to teach the housekeeper but she indicated that she was very comfortable in her religion and very active in her church.

One day this mission president received a telephone call in the mission office from his church leader, indicating that he would be in the mission office that afternoon and that he would spend the night in their home. He informed his wife and she together with the housekeeper and all the children started to clean the house and prepare a good dinner for the family and the important guest. Finally they were ready to make the cake. The only problem was that they were not able to find the eggbeater and the time was flying by fast. A frustration ensued in the household and the housekeeper complained that the children were always taking things to play with. The youngest girl suggested to the housekeeper, Why don’t you ask in a prayer for God to show you where the beater is?

The housekeeper, more frustrated, responded, God doesn’t answer such things. The little girl, unhappy, left and went to her room. A few moments later the housekeeper was passing by the little girl’s half-closed door and from there she could see her kneeling by her bed and heard these words, Dear Heavenly Father, please help our housekeeper to find the beater so that we will be able to have peace in our house. She hardly had finished when another girl yelled loudly from another room, I found the beater! How could that good housekeeper ignore the knowledge she received from the correct faith of a young girl that our Heavenly Father does answer even simple requests.

A couple weeks later the housekeeper was baptized. That young girl had learned this correct principle very early in her life and it seems clear from the story that she had the faith that God does answer all requests for help and that help can make family and friends feel better. She had this faith because she had practiced it before. If she did not, then she would not know for sure the result of her request.

It is easy for some of us to feel sure and possibly even comfortable with our faith, thinking that God does not answer such requests until someone tells us otherwise. As the need to know arises we ask, and we get the answer. We have obtained a new knowledge; we accepted the knowledge as true, enough to take the next step to ask.