John R. Moyle

Here is a post that I actually wrote last January when I saw a video of the story of John R. Moyle. I couldn't get it to embed properly, then it mysteriously disappeared. Well, today I found it again and am embedding it here. I hope you enjoy this story about a great man who did a great work.

In April General Conference, 2000, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's sermon was entitled "As Doves To Our Windows" and has been one of my favorites. You should go here and listen to it, as it is worth hearing it in his own voice. But here is an excerpt, telling a story about John R. Moyle that was repeated by Pres. Uchtdorf this last October.

"Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth. . . .
"Ye shall not go after other gods, . . . the gods of the people which are round about you. . . .
"For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: [he] hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself. . . .
"[He] did not . . . choose you, because ye were more in number than any [other] people; for ye were the fewest of all people:
"But because [he] loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers. . . .
"Know therefore that the Lord . . . is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations."

"John R. Moyle lived in Alpine, Utah, about 22 miles as the crow flies to the Salt Lake Temple, where he was the chief superintendent of masonry during its construction. To make certain he was always at work by 8 o'clock, Brother Moyle would start walking about 2 a.m. on Monday mornings. He would finish his work week at 5 p.m. on Friday and then start the walk home, arriving there shortly before midnight. Each week he would repeat that schedule for the entire time he served on the construction of the temple.
Once when he was home on the weekend, one of his cows bolted during milking and kicked Brother Moyle in the leg, shattering the bone just below the knee. With no better medical help than they had in such rural circumstances, his family and friends took a door off the hinges and strapped him onto that makeshift operating table. They then took the bucksaw they had been using to cut branches from a nearby tree and amputated his leg just a few inches below the knee. When against all medical likelihood the leg finally started to heal, Brother Moyle took a piece of wood and carved an artificial leg. First he walked in the house. Then he walked around the yard. Finally he ventured out about his property. When he felt he could stand the pain, he strapped on his leg, walked the 22 miles to the Salt Lake Temple, climbed the scaffolding, and with a chisel in his hand hammered out the declaration "Holiness to the Lord."


And finally, as we head into a year sure to contain "shafts in the whirlwind" for many, here is another talk by Elder Holland that you may find inspiring.