November, 2011
My Dear Cousins,
I want to express my deep love for each of you and thank all of you for what you are doing in honoring the names of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith. The cemetery is a credit to all of the family members that have participated in helping to maintain and beautify the sacred spot where the Prophet Joseph Smith and those dearest to him are buried: Emma, Mother and Father Smith, Hyrum, Samuel, and others of the family. We must never ever lose the sense of appreciation and gratitude for those who have laid the foundation for this great work and have given us so much.
All of us should consider it an honor to support the work of the family, and so I encourage each of you to be as generous as you possibly can in providing financial support so that the work can move forward year after year, touching the lives of more of our family members.
I suppose that there will not be anything that will be more thrilling for anyone of us than to eventually be embraced by Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack and by our other forefathers and loved ones, and have them say to us, “Thank you, thank you, for keeping the cemetery beautiful. Thank you for seeking out the family members and building unity and love and strength within our family.”
We are on the Lord’s errand. There is a great family work that we must accomplish in His holy name. May we be blessed to do so is the prayer of my heart.
Sincerely,
Elder M. Russell Ballard