EchoHawk - 2007 An Unexpected Gift

This was a devotional given by Larry EchoHawk.  He is a BYU Law Professor.  I think the main thing that I thought we were suppose to get out of it was an understanding that education might be a given in our culture, but it definitely isn't in the native american culture.

He briefly gave a history of the way the Pawnee people have been mistreated by the American Government.  He went on to describe a time when he ran to the the attorney general for the state of Idaho.  A native american had never been elected to any statewide state constitutional office (such as governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, or attorney general).  The newspaper said he didn't have a chance, but he ended up winning.  He said when he won he felt the full promise of America.  He felt the possibility of the future.

His conversion story.  He was baptized at the age of 14, but he wasn't really converted.  It wasn't until he was in priests quorum and he met Brother Boren that things started to change.  Brother Boren told him he could become anything he wanted to become.  If he wanted to get good at something he needed to practice.  He set out to become a good football player.  He eventually became the starting quarterback, but he was hit in the eye a few days before the first game and he had to have bandages on his eyes for over a week.  He felt it was unfair, but as he sat in bed for a week and he couldn't look at anything because his eyes had bandages on them so he had nothing but time to think.  He thought about the things that Brother Boren had taught him.  He prayed and asked the Lord to heal his eye so he could read the Book of Mormon.  His eyesight came back.  He became a good football player and immediately started reading the Book of Mormon.  He gained a testimony and, after some time, was offered a football scholarship to BYU and New Mexico.  He attributes a freak accident to bringing about his humility and all of the subsequent blessings.

President Kimball - "This is my Vision"
President Kimball relayed a story where he saw native americans as lawyers taking care of their own people.  "Get an education and help your people."  He became an attorney and worked for the largest indian tribe in Idaho.  He saw the hand of the Lord as he worked with the Native Americans.

The Army
Army drill sergeant would yell at everyone.  The drill sergeant found his Book of Mormon and yelled at him asking him if he knew the Book of Mormon was true.  He yelled yes and the drill sergeant never yelled at him about it again.