My Mother Linda Hartley - Her Deseret Industries Mission

My mother, Linda Hartley, gave a talk about her experience of being a service / welfare missionary at Deseret Industries quite some years ago. To me, this is a good reminder of the blessings of church callings and giving service to others. Below are my mother's words:

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Linda with her students

Around December of 1995, our bishop (who was also my husband) called me to be a part-time service/welfare missionary at Deseret Industries in Murray, Utah. I taught English as a second language to over 20 foreigners from January 22, 1996 to January 23, 1997.

Deseret Industries ("D.I.") is a church owned thrift store. A newly constructed sign now reads, "Thrift Store and Training Center." The training center part of the sign was a recent addition. It helps people understand the real purpose of this great program of the church.   

What is so incredible about this program is that it works! It works because it is an inspired program of the Lord. By donating second hand clothing and other items to this store, it gives employees of D.I. needed jobs and lifetime skills. When the public supports this store by buying its products, they are helping the employees earn their wage, and in turn, blessing the needy.

Not everything at D.I. is second hand. Items such as furniture, tables, and mattresses are made there. Much of the upholstery material is donated by other companies and the material is of very high quality. Even the president of our church bought a mattress set through Deseret Industries.

Beautiful baby quilts and larger quilts are made by volunteers in the Homecraft department. The material they use is donated by people such as you and me. Then, these quilts are made available at no cost to others in need by being distributed through the church's other welfare arm, the "bishop's storehouse." The volunteers in the Homecraft department are called, like I was, to serve as a volunteer for at least one year. Being a D.I. service/welfare missionary is one of the best church callings to have. There is a very special feeling when we are serving others.

Linda with some other students

Sometimes the needy are those whose only barrier is language. And, not everyone employed at D.I. is physically or mentally handicapped. There are those who come to this country seeking a better life and need basic, survival English to thrive here.

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be teaching English as a second language. Many people asked me if I had a lot of experience teaching English, or if I had knowledge in foreign languages. I laughed and said, "Not at all! I haven’t used my Spanish since I was 15 years old." That two year Spanish course in junior high school was now pretty rusty, but it helped at times.  

I wondered many times why the bishop had asked me to be a service missionary. But then I remembered my patriarchal blessing which reminded me that I would be called to positions of authority to help those less fortunate than myself. I often wondered what that meant. And that phrase from my blessing kept echoing in my mind as I served as a service/welfare missionary to teach English.

I first taught about four classes a week for the first four months of my mission. Thereafter, I taught two classes per week. Each class met twice a week for an hour. Our classes were small, with about five people per class attending. We would meet upstairs in the classroom area of the D.I. building.

There are about 6 volunteer teachers and over 50 employees taking classes. The students are all given an oral English test. Then, after assessing their ability, they are assigned to a certain level. I taught two levels of English--both basic levels, but one higher than another. We were never given a lot of information about these people. Sometimes it would be weeks until I discovered if someone was illiterate in their own language.

It was an honor to teach English at D.I. The people I worked with have become my dearest and sweetest friends whom I dearly love. The most special class was a class with four Spanish-speaking ladies who shook my hand, hugged and kissed me every time they entered and left class. It was, "Thank you, Professora, Linda!" They were so grateful! English was very difficult for them, with some of the ladies in their 60's and 70's trying to tackle it. As teachers, we tried to teach them simple phrases or questions.

Linda with her students again

My most challenging class was the class with two Bosnian women, a Pakistani woman, a Russian woman and a Mexican man. The Bosnians and Spanish speakers have a very similar alphabet as we do, but the Russian and Pakistani do not. It was a challenge for the Russian and Pakistani to read or write English, but they were so willing and hard-working.  

The Spirit of the Lord prompted me many times to know WHAT to teach or how to teach. For example, I felt very impressed to teach phonic skills to the Bosnians and Spanish students. At the time, my daughter Angela was in 2nd grade, and her 2nd grade teacher had a phonics sheet. There were about 50 phonograms--no wonder English is so difficult.  

This calling came to me at a very critical time in my life. It was a healing balm during a pretty rugged time. The Lord knew I would be going through a personally challenging situation, so He offered me a wonderful opportunity to serve those less fortunate than myself. My life was blessed because of it, as I hope their lives were a bit richer and fuller. I am grateful for an inspired bishop.

Accept your church callings faithfully even though you might have some reservations about them. The blessings of our calling make a difference not only in our life, but in the lives of others. It buoyed my spirits and convinced me more than ever that service to others is vital.

The scripture in Doctrine & Convenants 11:13, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy," is true. I also love the scripture in Doctrine & Covenants 6:36, "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not."

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Below is also a great and brief video produced by Deseret Industries about some of the work and service it provides to others. I had no idea Deseret Industries does as much as it does. What a great organization! More videos can also be found here.

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Adapted from a talk Linda F. Hartley gave some time after her Deseret Industries mission ended. Additionally, as of August 2017, the D.I. may no longer be offering all the same services or trainings as described in her address.