The Path: A Memoir of Discovered Faith

By Don Levin

This is the story of the grandson of Jewish immigrants who came through Ellis Island in pursuit of the American Dream. After a childhood during which he felt there was a decided absence of purpose and explanation for our life on Earth, the author has spent a lifetime seeking, and finding, answers to three basic questions: “Where did I come from, Why am I here, and Where will I go when I die.”

There was no single momentous instant of realization but rather a lifetime of continuous discovery of faith in a loving Heavenly Father, a savior in Jesus Christ, and a beloved companion in the Holy Ghost, as he progressed along the Path of discovery. All along this path there were people and opportunities strategically placed so as to allow this discovery of faith to occur and to constantly be strengthened.

Written as a memoir of developing faith, it is not an autobiography or life story but rather a compilation of these meetings and experiences that allowed this man to fully embrace the tenets of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints.

Growing up in and around the city of Chicago in predominantly Jewish neighborhoods, Don’s anecdotal stories reveal the truth behind how “a nice Jewish boy became a Mormon bishop.” It was compiled as a testimony for his children, grandchildren, and future generations as to how his family came to be members of this faith.

The journey of a thousand miles starts with the first of many steps. This is the story of those countless steps along the path.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 18, 2020
• ISBN: 9781665508469

Don Levin

Don Levin is the President & CEO of USA-LTC, a national insurance brokerage, and has been in the long term care insurance industry since 1999. Don is also a former practicing Attorney-at-Law, court-appointed Arbitrator, as well as a retired U.S. Army officer with 23 years of service. Don earned his Juris Doctor from The John Marshall Law School, his MPA, from the University of Oklahoma, and his BA from the University of Illinois-Chicago. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College and the Defense Strategy Course, U.S. Army War College. In his spare time, Don has published thirteen other books in a wide range of genre, as well as countless articles on leadership, long term care insurance, and personal development. Don is very active with his church and within the community, and remains focused on his wife Susie, their five children, nineteen grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and two dogs aptly named Barnes & Noble. A native of Chicago, Don and the majority of the clan now resides in the Boise, Idaho and Northern Utah area. Don may be reached at [e-mail].

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2020 Don Levin. All rights reserved.

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.

Published by AuthorHouse 12/17/2020

ISBN: 978-1-6655-0847-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-0846-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020923343

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Preface

Introduction

1. Alpha and Omega

2. What is a Testimony

3. What is Conversion

4. What is Faith

5. What is a Jew?

6. Roots

7. Blame Mark Clark

8. Donnie’s Home

9. Chick

10. Motherhood

11. Earliest Recollections

12. Hebrew School

13. The Boy Wonder Begins

14. Battle of Angels

15. Guardian Angel

16. Drag Race

17. Bar Mitzvah Season

18. Hand in the Glove

19. A New Birth Certificate

20. First Fight

21. Seder

22. Dating

23. Graduation

24. Suicide is not Painless

25. Higher Learning

26. Crossroads

27. Fort Lewis

28. The Bunker

29. We Don’t Do That Here

30. The Disappearing Cokes

31. Gas Chambers

32. Sacred Grove

33. Cleanliness

34. Interregnum

35. It’s a Wonderful Life

36. Law School

37. Tithing

38. The Miracle of Life

39. Taking the Plunge

40. The Hosanna Shout

41. Ordination

42. You Are Special

43. Sealing

44. Patriarchal Blessing

45. Priesthood Miracle

46. The Bar Exam

47. The Temple

48. And Baby Makes Seven

49. Black and White

50. Heritage

51. Hey Meatball

52. The Clothes Make the Man

53. Our First Missionary

54. Apostle’s Blessing

55. Indestructibility

56. Into the Crucible Again

57. The Kirtland Temple

58. The Hand Leaves the Glove again

59. Sayonara

60. Broken Code

61. The Gazebo

62. Miracle of Forgiveness

63. Chippenham

64. Sometimes the Answer is No

65. Stay the Course

66. Transitions

67. Isle of Tears

68. The Emerald City

69. Million Dollar Baby

70. Platinum

71. End of the Road and a New Beginning

72. CUBS W1N

73. Family History

74. Tender Mercy

75. A Punch in the Nose

76. Connecting the Generations

77. The Plan

78. What’s in a Name?

79. Pandemic

80. Third Act

81. Why I Believe

PREFACE

"Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men,

everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit

the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell

there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the language of

Adam, Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his

Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a

righteous Judge, who shall come in the meridian of time."

Moses 6:57, Pearl of Great Price

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Over the years since we joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I have heard people stand and bear testimony that the Gospel of Jesus Christ, their baptism, and that their adherence to Gospel standards has saved them. I have heard others proclaim that temple ordinances have saved them spiritually. This story is about how my reading the Book of Mormon literally saved my physical life.

One of the first lessons that really resonated with me as taught by the missionaries was the importance of being clean because the Spirit will not dwell where it is not clean. While this denotes spiritual and moral cleanliness as opposed to simply physical cleanliness, I was enough of a literalist that I always insured that I had washed my hands and was physically clean as well before I picked up my scriptures. I have always treated all books, but particularly my scriptures, with respect – some of my kids would even say that I border on the maniacal about avoiding cracking the spine of the book, or shudder, bending and folding pages back around while reading a paperback book.

As part of a front-line unit with an active mission of patrolling the West German/East German/Czechoslovakian border, service with the Second Armored Cavalry Regiment also presented me with a lot of field time in general. Regular rotations to the major training centers in Germany, most notably Grafenwoehr [famous for Rommel’s training the Afrika Korps on these very same tank trails] kept me away from home over 80% of the time. It was nearly like being deployed overseas with an occasional opportunity to check in with my family that just happened to be in country with me.

I was on one such training rotation at Grafenwoehr, supporting Level I gunnery for the Cavalry troops, essentially living out on Firing Point 621, tucked away on the Northwest corner of the reservation. As either the Fire Direction Officer or the Officer in Charge of the firing point I was pretty much stuck out there living in the muck of February, for the better part of the entire exercise.

After ten days of living out on the range, it was finally my turn to rotate to our Tent City located near main post, and again, I began to think about the significance of being clean if I was serious about reading and studying the Book of Mormon in anticipation of my next meeting with the young missionaries who had been challenging me with assignments to read and to then pray about what I had read.

This thought was absolutely reverberating in my mind as my driver steered our jeep in from the range where I had just spent those ten days without seeing the insides of a shower or a mess Hall. Ten days of bathing and shaving out of my helmet and having hot chow brought out to the firing point in giant metal containers had definitely altered my priorities as we drove on the muddy tank trail heading for what in my mind had taken on the epic proportions of Nirvana. I could already feel the sting of the hot water on my skin, and was breathing in the steam that was going to envelope my body as I treated myself to a much needed extended stay under the shower as well as some real food, albeit from the greasy burger bar.

At the same time, I realized that in addition to these creature comforts, I was going to be afforded the opportunity to crawl into my sleeping bag on my cot and read select portions of the Book of Mormon and ponder them as I had been challenged to do by the missionaries with whom I had been meeting. While I had endeavored to read my scriptures several times while out on the range, the constant interruptions had made it pretty much an exercise in futility.

Therefore, my quandary was whether I should read or shower first. On one hand, I was afraid that by not showering and becoming [physically] clean that the Spirit might not touch my heart as I hoped it would, and on the other, I knew that the only thing keeping me upright after ten hard days in the field with long days and very short nights was the dried sweat and grime of the range; I was afraid that by showering it off that I would be too tired and too relaxed to read and that I would miss out only my opportunity to study.

I wrestled with this choice the entire way back to Camp Normandy. Upon arrival there I was still undecided and determined to say a prayer to resolve the question. I had no sooner sat down on my footlocker and cleared my mind, when I received a very distinct and powerful impression, almost a whisper that ran through my heart and mind, that it was important that I shower first, so as to strip away the dirt of the world before I began my study of the Book of Mormon. I quickly gathered up my toiletries and a clean uniform and headed for the concrete shower house about one hundred twenty five yards from my tent.

As expected, the hot water of the shower was absolutely delightful, and I literally felt the cares of the world being washed away. Ironically, I had the shower to myself, as most of the camp was attending a movie, and I stood there under the water for a long while. I had literally just turned the water off when I heard and felt a large explosive thump that seemed unnaturally close in both severity and volume. Mind you, we would often hear artillery and tank firing going on around the clock, so this was not unusual. Over time, I actually learned how to sleep through it! However, the severity of the impact of this round made it feel different, and definitely up close and personal. Sensing that something might be amiss, I quickly dried and dressed myself, and headed back outside.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the source of the explosion had been an errant 8" artillery round from an adjacent training area that had completely missed the range impact area and had actually landed in our camp, with my tent near the center of the blast radius! Having already experienced the bunker blast and hand grenade debacles, it was somewhat surreal to walk over to the remains of my tent and to view the damage that the shrapnel from this 240 pound shell containing about 21 pounds of TNT had done to cots, sleeping bags, foot lockers, and the concrete pad on which it all rested.

Personnel from Range Control, the post medical detachment, as well as military police all converged on the area because this incident was a big deal, and probably meant that more than one or two heads were going to roll before all was said and done. While we jokingly refer to such incidents as an oops the potential for loss of life is great. Over the years I was party to several such incidents in various training areas in the US, fortunately always with the same result and no loss of life. In fact, I have shrapnel sitting on my desk from such an oops….

Miraculously, no one was injured, but there was a lot of personal gear and equipment destroyed by the exploding round, to include my footlocker and everything in it. I literally was left with the clean clothes on my back and the few personal items that I had taken with me to the shower house until I was sent to Quartermaster Sales the next day to have my personal uniforms and equipment replaced courtesy of Uncle Sam. It is the only time in my military career that I did not pay for my personal equipment as is required of commissioned officers.

Later that night after all the brass had left the area and my tent mates and I had found ourselves a new tent in which to spend the night, I settled into my sleeping bag on my cot, and began to say my nightly prayers. It was not until that moment that I had the stark realization that had I not heeded and acted upon the impression to take a shower before performing my study and reading, I could very well have been in my tent at the time that it was destroyed.

That revelation was enough to release a large dose of adrenaline into my system, and had I not already been lying down, I probably would have had to sit down. All four of my limbs instantly felt as solid as Jell-O and I could feel myself beginning to perspire and my respiration to quicken. It was probably a good 15 to 20 minutes that this condition persisted, and I was able to regain control of my body.

As the years have passed and I have shared that story on a limited basis, the reaction to it has largely been the same. Those with faith have been quick to point out that I was blessed because of my desire to be clean before I read from the scriptures. Others have said that I was lucky and that this experience is proof that timing is everything. With the passage of forty years, the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, and the acquisition of knowledge during this period, I know that luck had nothing to do with my survival, and that it was my desire to be obedient as well as my heeding the prompting of the Holy Ghost that was the true basis of my avoiding harm.

Candidly, the impact of this lesson has become more and more significant to me as the years have passed. Back at the time of it happening, but for the realization in my sleeping bag of just how close I had come to potentially being killed, the spiritual lesson was somewhat lost on me, for it was another four years before I entered the waters of baptism. Maybe I am a slow learner after all.

INTRODUCTION

"The attributes by which we shall be judged one day

are all spiritual. These include love, virtue, integrity,

compassion, and service to others. Your spirit, coupled

with and housed in your body, is able to develop and

manifest these attributes in ways that are vital to your

eternal progression. Spiritual progress is attained through

the steps of faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the

Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end, including the

endowment and sealing ordinances of the holy temple."

President Russell M. Nelson

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I was sitting at a funeral talking to a friend about Jewish and LDS funerals and the fact that they are as different as night and day. Whereas a Jewish funeral is full of mourning and wailing, heartfelt grief, and a tremendous sense of loss and finality, an LDS funeral is a church service that is a celebrations of life; the marking of a momentous passage or transition, and is filled with hope for a brighter and better future for the deceased as well as promises of renewal and resurrection and the opportunity to be together again eternally.

We speak of passing through the veil, while for Jews, dead is certainly dead. Because they do not believe in an afterlife, it is only natural that most Jews largely fear death. The Passover mark on the door was intended to ward off the angel of death and to spare the first born child. To this day there are no Juniors anywhere else in the family tree. For as it was explained to me countless times while growing up, the Angel of Death could come down and snatch the wrong Don if there was a Senior, a Junior, and oi vey, may he live and be well, a Don III. This is how it was explained to me before I had children of my own, so imagine the consternation when we had a son and named him Donald Jr.

As I recounted to my friends other parts of my conversion story, their interest grew and grew. When I mentioned that I have in the past given firesides in which I spoke of my experiences, they were quite enthusiastic about attending the next one and then suggested that inasmuch as I am an author, I should capture all of these experiences in a book not only for my own family but for others who may be seeking the truth in the same manner that I sought it for so many years. I chewed on that thought for several weeks, until one Sunday after church I sat down at my computer and in the matter of about ninety minutes had a substantial outline for what eventually became this book.

I have always believed that there are distinct seasons to our lives during which we utilize our God-given talents to further the mission of the church of Proclaim the Gospel, Perfect the Saints, and Redeem the Dead. When I look back over the last thirty-five years, I can see the seasons in which I engaged in each of these works based on the callings in which I was engaged. Now, I feel that I am most assuredly in the Redeem season, as I am attempting to capture and assemble our family history; in the last two years I have successfully grown a family tree with only thirty leaves on it to one with thousands. I am attempting to engage my grandchildren in this work, and I am keenly aware that as the connecting link between my grandparents and my grandchildren, that it is my responsibility to forge strong and lasting chains between these generations, connecting the past with the present as well as the future.

Without being overly morbid or allowing my [melodramatic] Jewish roots to show [which according to my wife and children happens fairly regularly], I am keenly aware of my legacy in general and the urgency that has often accompanied the writing of many of my books, and that I am now feeling associated with this one. When I wrote Don’t Feed the Bears and Eight Points of the Compass, I was concerned with who would teach my children the very things they would need to survive in this mortal state. Writing Another Last Day and then its sequel The Advocate brought me squarely face to face with my own mortality and ministry. Blast of Trumpets and Clarion Blast were a focus and retrospective on my words & thoughts.

Broken Code, The Code, and Wisdom of the Diamond are largely autobiographical chronicles of my professional life even if not intended to be at the time that I wrote them.

Which now brings us to this book which will be part life story, part conversion story, as well as part family history. One of my sons has also suggested that I should video record large portions of these stories so that in years to come that the words will come alive and that they will be more than just words on a page and that future generations will know who I was, and why the heck I wrote so many books.

It is not ego or narcissism driving me to capture this story but rather a deeply seated spiritually received impression that it is the proper thing to do. In the event a story or recollection helps just one person seek and find the clarity that the Gospel has brought to my life, then I know it will have been worth the effort. We are a record keeping people encouraged to construct and maintain daily journals in which we are to capture significant events, spiritual experiences, and our very history. As more and more of my friends and acquaintances face their own trials of morbidity and mortality, I feel an equal necessity to complete this work and to capture these thoughts for posterity, especially as the Covid-19 pandemic presented me with extra time. I hope it will be read with an eye to that objective.

Don

CHAPTER 1

ALPHA AND OMEGA

"Knowing that the gospel is true is

the essence of a testimony.

Consistently being true to the gospel

is the essence of conversion."

Elder David A. Bednar,

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For those who like to read the end of the story before reading the entire book, you are in luck. I say this because I am going to share the ending of the story right now.

We live in a very turbulent, fast-paced, ever-changing, and darn right scary world. I used to say that I did not worry so much about myself but for my children; now, I am absolutely terrified by the world that our grandchildren are going to inherit. Spiraling national debts, a politically polarized populace the likes of which we have never seen before, and this sense of entitlement from our children’s generation compounded by a lack of discipline in their children’s generation. It is for all these reasons that I am grateful for the Gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The foundational beliefs that I have come to embrace during my time on the Path have come to mean a great deal to me as I approach the next Act in my finite stage life. The Gospel — do not be confused between the Gospel and the Church, for they are distinctly different things — provides me with the infinite Truth, eternal Justice and Integrity, and the everlasting Covenant of eternal life. Eternal life is a whole lot different than simple immortality. With each passing year and bit of insight that I acquire, the Gospel becomes all the more significant an anchor in my mortal life, and one that I want all of my progeny to embrace because of the safety it affords us against the dangers of Man and Satan.

I believe with certainty the following:

• I believe In God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. They are three separate beings with whom I have separate and distinct relationships.

• Contrary to a lot of converts to, or investigators of, the Church, I had no problem embracing the concept that Joseph Smith was a prophet and was visited by angels. Further, that like Joseph, I often prayed with true intent to discover which church on the earth today is true.

• Russell M. Nelson is a prophet today, and someone worth emulating in so many ways. While I have admired all the sixteen prophets who have proceeded him for their spirituality and example to the world, there is something truly special about President Nelson. He is such an accomplished man, that he almost appears to possess supernatural powers. Whether it was his groundbreaking work as a world renowned cardiac thoracic surgeon, or his ability to learn languages such as Mandarin with seemingly little effort, he appears larger than life, and is a wonderful man, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. I am proud and humbled to listen to him speak as God’s chosen mouthpiece on the earth today.

• I believe that the fifteen men who are ordained as apostles, prophets, seers, and revelatory at any given time in this dispensation are in fact those very things; that they have been called of God as special witnesses. I have felt of their energy when I have met them in person and received apostolic blessings. Each apostle who we have met in person emits a special aura of the Spirit with which he is imbued. While they may be as mortal a man as I am, there is something special about these special witnesses of God.

• I believe in latter day prophets the same way that I believe that Moses was a prophet in olden times. If God spoke to us in early scripture, why is it hard to believe that he would continue this practice today?

• Trite as it may sound, but I am a Son of God and He knows me individually, the righteous desires of my heart, and that I am never alone.

• That repentance is a wonderful gift that allows each of to take advantage of the sacrifice associated with the Atonement. I thought I understood this for the first quarter century of my church membership and then I became a bishop and seemingly had my eyes and my heart opened to terms such as repentance, charity, and mercy.

• As a priesthood holder I have the power to act in His name on the earth.

• That my oath and covenant of the Priesthood means more to me than my Oath and Commission as an Army officer.

• That I am the patriarch of my family — smack dab in the middle of five generations — the common link to all of them.

• That we need to influence future generations by the example we live and not by the words we utter.

• That we need to make full use of the finite time that we have been allocated. We need to have our affairs in order so that if we are called home at a moment’s notice, that we are not placed in a position to defend our life on earth, and that we are as worthy as we said we are when participating in our Temple Recommend interview and answered the questions of the Temple’s sentinels.

• That Honor and Integrity are intertwined and represent the most important character trait with which we leave the Earth. That my true North is in fact Integrity.

• The power of prayer is an amazing thing and is often the precursor to miracles that we witness on the earth.

• The power of the priesthood in terms of healing is very very real. I have seen people that I know and care about healed by virtue of the laying on of hands.

• The temple is the place on Earth where we can be closest to our Heavenly Father. I have communed with him, seeking answers or confirmations to prayers, and received them, even if on occasion it was with answers that I did not want to hear.

• Choosing the right is something we must be prepared to do every day. That making decisions ahead of time — once — saves us countless heartache as we reconsider them time and time again.

• Satan is everywhere, doing all that he can do to seduce us to his side. He is subtle, probably looks like a movie star, and uses temptation and subtlety to undermine the foundations of good. He is not going to pick up a building and put it down across the street, but rather will use inch-by-inch subtlety and temptation to draw us close to, and then over, the line. He will use questions and doubts to undermine truth, but I am also of the mind that these same questions and doubts can be used to grow our depth and breadth of knowledge and strengthen our testimonies.

• We are all entitled to revelation — personal for ourselves, as well as for those over whom we may have stewardship. It requires us to have our radios in receive mode and not in transmit. That it is the small still voice that will often speak like a blast of trumpets if we are listening.

• Moderation in all things is a good way to live, not just eat.

• That there are no small acts of kindness, and that a kind word or act can often mean the world to someone who has that specific need.

• We are surrounded by angels, both mortal and immortal.

• I have witnessed and/or been part of miracles that cannot be explained either as coincidence or in terms of science.

• Faith is believing in things unseen but remain real.

• That the Holy Ghost is real, and that the promptings that we receive like whispers into our soul are real too, and that we will never go wrong by heeding and acting upon these promptings.

• There is financial security associated with honestly embracing the tenets of tithing and doing so with a willing heart.

• The work of salvation that we are in engaged in does extend to both sides of the veil. I love doing family history work and linking the generations of my family together. A picture attached to a name makes that person very real to me, and if they are a fallen soldier or sailor even more sacred. Visiting the grave of a fallen cousin in the Punchbowl National Cemetery in Hawaii takes on greater significance, as does learning of the death of a fellow 19-year old second lieutenant in the trenches of France during World War One. They are my family.

• That the Book of Mormon is as true as the Old and New Testaments contained in the Bible, and that the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price are also latter day scripture that I have come to embrace as truth and something written for me in these latter days.

• That it is the Gospel of which we need to have a testimony, and not the Church. The church is a vehicle that the Lord uses to further His work on the Earth.

Some other non-Gospel truths that I hold near and dear include:

• Hearing about the death of people that we taught when they were youth seems counter-intuitive and makes me even more committed to spend my time in righteous pursuits, such as capturing these thoughts and words.

• It almost feels like I am writing the last chapter of the story and that I am doing so with a tsunami of danger sitting offshore waiting to hit us with a great and devastating fury.

• Our grandchildren of all ages, (we have over a quarter century age span in that generation thus far) have grown up in the church, not knowing any different. When we talk about our past life with them, they are enthralled, and ask many questions about what life was life prior to our joining the Church. I would like to think that their questions answer any doubts or concerns that they may be experiencing in their own lives, and also allow them to garner an appreciation for the presence of the Gospel in their lives, and the very modest sacrifices we endured while bringing the Gospel into the family as we modeled the way as pioneers.

• Likewise, I see these questions and doubts as seeds of Satan taking root in this generation of my family and it terrifies me that we will lose them.

• That we are spiritual beings having a human or mortal experience, and not humans seeking spiritual experiences. Far more than just perspective, this is a core belief for me with each passing year of mortality.

• That as sure as there is a Law of Gravity and other Laws of Nature, there are equally powerful laws that cover things like Tithing, Charity, and the Word of Wisdom.

• That Thomas Edison was correct when he said that there is really nothing that comes from within us, and that everything we are, want, or aspire to, is out in the Universe waiting for us to harness it.

• That I do know and possess a 100% certainty of these things, and don’t have to hedge my bets by believing 99% and reserving final judgment until I am translated to the next world on my path and shown these truths with total certainty.

So now, the story behind these truths that I now hold as self-evident or as Paul Harvey used to say, and now for the rest of the story, and the Path upon which I embarked so many years ago.

CHAPTER 2

WHAT IS A TESTIMONY

Believing things on authority only means believing

them because you have been told them by someone you

think is trustworthy. 99% of the things you believe are

believed on authority. I believe there is such a place as New

York. I have not seen it myself. I cannot prove by abstract

reasoning that there is such a place. I believe it because

reliable people have told me so. The ordinary man believes

in the Solar System, atoms, evolution, and the coalition of

blood on authority."

C. S. Lewis

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As a child I had it impressed upon me that telling the truth was the most important part of character. When I acted as an attorney representing clients, it was always important to me that the truth prevailed while seeking testimony in a court of law. For these reasons I always believed that testimony was a tangible part of speech or evidence that could readily be